xfdws SISTERS-FOR-JUSTICE sked Emerging Markets Datafile
August 11, 2003
NEW STRAITS TIMES-MANAGEMENT TIMES
MALAYSIA
ENGLISH
Sisters for justice, NEW STRAITS TIMES-MANAGEMENT TIMES
Sofianni Subki
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A BUNCH of brash women who knew very little about Islam-this was how the founding members of Sisters in Islam (SIS) were perceived when they started out in 1988.
Naturally, because of this, their work has been disparaged by many.
For a non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting women’s rights within an Islamic framework, SIS clearly has an uphill task.
Conservative Muslims claim they are too radical and have no authority to talk about the religion. Many women are also wary of their motives.
They are seen as anti-Islam, anti-God, anti-Quran-which is strange to say the least, because they operate within the confines of the religion, embracing it fully and completely in the many projects that they do.
Because they believe wholeheartedly in their mission, the group-all professionals-has persevered.
Last week, the hard work paid off.
First Lady Datuk Seri Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, launched SIS’s fund-raising campaign and new publications with a clear endorsement of the group’s efforts.
”I have followed SIS’s progress since its establishment and am proud to say that it has upgraded the status of Muslim women based on Islamic teachings,” said Dr Siti Hasmah, a SIS supporter.
Many local companies and individuals attended the event, held at the Islamic Arts Museum in Kuala Lumpur.
The three-year campaign, to raise RM200,000 a year, will go towards the group’s operational costs. SIS, however, has earned the high regard of a number of professionals.
Assoc Prof Dr Rahmah Noordin, a lecturer with Universiti Sains Malaysia, says that although the status of women in Malaysia is much better than in some other Muslim countries, there are still many men and women who think that women are subordinate and therefore inferior to men.
She says this perception stems from a narrow interpretation of Islam and the confusion between cultural and Islamic values.
”Thus, an NGO which promotes the understanding of women’s rights in Islam should be supported,” she adds.
Marlin Rajiman, a publicity manager, feels the same way.
”Yes, I support SIS, because being a woman myself, I do want the freedom to express my thoughts and to exercise my rights.
”All said and done, SIS has helped Muslim women in this country by providing a platform for their voices to be heard; it has encouraged women to be more confident.”
Another supporter, Haji Mohd Ghazali Osman, a pensioner from Ipoh, says it is rare to see a group of women like SIS who put in time, energy and money to fight for their own kind.
”I really admire what they are doing. In Malaysia, women have been downtrodden for hundred of years. As a man, it saddens me to see women being mistreated and misjudged.
”There is a general lack of respect for women and what makes it worse is that men seem to get away with it. I know we (men) are not perfect but there is absolutely no excuse for mistreating women.”
He adds that for the last 10 years there have been cases where women have had to fight for a divorce, maintenance and the right to lead a normal life after divorce.
”This should not be the case because the very authority which is supposed to protect women gives more credence to the men. So much so, there have been cases where judgments have been passed against men by the Syariah court but are ignored. The men simply get away with it. Where is justice for women?”
Knowing how easy it is for others to criticise their efforts, the group begins each project by researching and studying the Quran and Sunnah (sayings of Prophet Mohammed).
In their eagerness to understand Islamic teachings and principles, SIS members and friends meet regularly for study sessions with visiting Islamic scholars from abroad or those teaching in local universities.
They also have members who are theologians or experts in Islamic law.
The knowledge they acquire gives them added confidence to push for the rights they believe all Muslim women should have.
The group, however, continues to court controversy because it is unconventional. The members are fluent in English and many of them do not wear the tudung. Challenging male supremacy or paternalistic thinking has also not endeared them to many men in Malaysian society.
Despite this, SIS pushes against the tide by publishing books and booklets on issues it feels matter most to Malaysian Muslim women.
It also gives legal advice and counselling to women who have problems obtaining a divorce, and maintenance for themselves or their children.
It holds public lectures on contemporary Islamic issues and runs a monthly training programme on women’s rights in Islam, targeting young professionals, including journalists, human rights lawyers, university students and service providers.
SIS also has a legal literacy column in Utusan Malaysia, one of the leading newspapers in the country.
In addition, the group acts as a watchdog of sorts, looking out for gender-biased legislation or policies that are introduced or practised by any religious body or Syariah court.
It also highlights flaws in the system by drawing public attention to problems faced by women who are unjustly treated by the religious authorities.
Although the response has been slow and cautious, there is now much more support for SIS.
”Definitely, there is more interest in our work today,” says Zainah Anwar, executive director of SIS.
”Since Sept 11 and the Bali bombings, there has been a greater awareness among Muslims that they have to take responsibility for the kind of Islam that evolves in our society.
”Just look at the number of people coming to our public lectures and study sessions. There is interest in our training programmes and people continue coming to us for legal advice. Even non-Muslims and Muslim men come to us for help.”
But the criticisms will not stop.
”We have a million obstacles,” says Zainah. “Just look at Suara Ulama’s website; we get all kinds of attacks; it’s an uphill battle.
She says that injustice against women occurs all over the world; it’s not peculiar to Islam or Malaysia and that’s why the women’s movement began.
There are women’s groups dealing with all kinds of issues-violence against women, gender-biased laws and religions that discriminate against women.
”Our mission is to push for the development of an Islam that upholds the principles of equality, justice, freedom and dignity. An Islam that protects and upholds women’s rights.
”We’re not doing this for fun. It’s certainly not a fun job; being controversial and being accused of being anti-God, anti-Islam and anti-Quran by our detractors.”
One such “sceptic” is Ahmad Faizal Ahmad Adi, a 28-year-old legal executive.
”They (SIS members) should respect the ulama and the religious authorities. I feel that society doesn’t really support SIS because some of them don’t have their heads covered.
”Covering the aurat is compulsory, it’s stated in the Quran. Can you imagine how ridiculous they would look if they talked about religion on television with their hair in full view? Sama lah pakai seluar pendek berdegar-degar cerita nak tegakkan syariah! (It’s like wearing shorts while trying to spread the word of God!).”
In response, Zainah says that wearing the tudung is a relatively new phenomenon.
”If you look at pictures of Malay women in the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, you can count the number of heads in a tudung in an UMNO general assembly.
”My mother, who was a devout Muslim woman, never wore a tudung except at religious occasions. The tudung is a very political statement, it has become a political issue. Are we saying that women who don’t wear it are bad Muslims? Since when has wearing a tudung been an article of faith in Islam?
”Surely, being a good Muslim is more than just wearing a tudung over the head. It is up to the individual if she wants to cover up or not. In the end it is up to God to judge who is a good Muslim and who is not; not another human being.”
Next month, SIS will start a weekly legal aid clinic at the SIS office in Jalan Dewan Bahasa, Kuala Lumpur. Once it opens, men and women can avail themselves of legal counselling every Friday. This is a joint effort between SIS and the Bar Council Legal Aid Centre.
At around the same time SIS will play host to a meeting of Muslim women activists from Southeast Asia and the Middle East to share experiences and strategies to counter religious extremism and discrimination against women in the name of Islam.
In addition, there is lot of demand for SIS and its work in Afghanistan.
Says Zainah: “It’s interesting that when other Muslim countries and women’s groups look for solutions to problems that Muslim women face, they turn to us.
”Why do they do that? Obviously, they see us as part of the solution, and not a part of the problem. For example, women’s groups working in Afghanistan realise the importance of SIS’s work to the Afghan women because we work within religion and in Afghanistan, you have no choice but to work with religion.”
Obviously, SIS has its work cut out, but one thing’s for sure, the gutsy sisters will remain committed to their cause until their dream of an Islam thxfdnl CNNfn-NEWS-07
Once Bitten…
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Head: Once Bitten…>
The bond market is convinced that it’s 1994 all over again. The Fed’s job on Tuesday is to try to convince investors that this is not the case.
1994 was a disastrous year for bonds, with many investors caught unawares of how aggressively the Fed would tighten the screws as it engineered a “soft landing” for the too-hot U.S. economy. After holding steady at 3 percent for over a year, the Fed, between February 1994 and January 1995, ran the fed funds target rate up to 6 percent.
The Treasury market got slaughtered. The yield on the 10-year note went from an October 1993 low of 5.19 percent up to a November 1994 peak of 8.05 percent. The rout left many investors badly damaged and some, like the hedge fund Askin Capital Management, were forced to shut their doors. The experience left a deep scar on the market. Participants vowed not to let it happen again.
So this time around they began unloading Treasurys much earlier in the game, and much faster. Between Oct. 15, 1993 and the Fed’s Feb. 4, 1994 tightening, the yield on the 10-year went up just three-quarters of a percentage point. In contrast, from its June 13 low of 3.11 percent, the 10-year’s yield has already traveled more than 1.25 percentage points.
Yet nobody, not even the economy’s biggest bulls, thinks the Fed is going to be raising rates this year, and some economists believe it will be on hold until 2005.
How come? Think back on 1994. When the Fed began hiking, the recession had been over for three full years. If it followed the same script this time around, it wouldn’t raise rates until fall of next year. Back in 1994, the unemployment rate had been falling for over a year and it was down more than a full percentage point from its peak. Given the slack that exists in the economy now, the employment picture isn’t likely to begin improving until the end of 2003.
But bond investors would rather play it safe than take their chances. That’s unfortunate, because the backup in rates is dragging down the U.S. economy, leaving it vulnerable to shock.
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