MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, YOGYAKARTA – The Global Conference on Women’s Rights in Islam (GCWRI) at Universitas ‘Aisyiyah (UNISA) Yogyakarta which took place on 14 – 16 May 2024 became a space for Indonesia’s Joint Initiative for Strategic Religious Action (JISRA) to voice the ecofeminism movement, as part of efforts to build peaceful and just society. It was discussed in a talk show with the theme ‘Ecofeminism and Freedom of Religion & Belief: Strengthening the Role of Women and Young People in Maintaining Interfaith Harmony and Peace Building in Indonesia’ on May 15, 2024 in the 2nd Floor Meeting Room of the Siti Munjiyah Building UNISA Yogyakarta.
“This talkshow was organized by 10 JISRA Indonesia partners who work together to advocate for freedom of religion and belief in Indonesia,” said Mutiara Pasaribu, Country Coordinator of JISRA Indonesia. “Our work is all diverse, and environmental work is one part of our great work together,” she continued in front of the 53 participants present.
She emphasized that the results of this meeting could be a lesson for JISRA partners in other countries. Moreover, JISRA has a very wide network. JISRA is a global consortium that works together to foster diversity and promote tolerance across religious groups and beliefs. The consortium consists of 50 local partners in Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iraq, Kenya, Mali, Uganda and Nigeria. In Indonesia, there are ten civil society organizations that are members of this consortium: AMAN Indonesia, Fahmina Institute, Fatayat NU West Java, GUSDURian Network, Imparsial, DIAN Interfidei, Mosintuwu Institute, Muhammadiyah, Nasyiatul Aisyiyah, and Peace Generation.
Judy Amoke, Program Manager of Faith to Action Network, one of the organizers of GWCRI emphasized that the JISRA program specifically encourages the involvement of youth and women, so that all those present at this talk show can share experiences with each other. “JISRA builds bridges by ensuring interfaith cooperation and interfaith relations, so that we can work together for a harmonious community,” added Judy.
Meanwhile, Stephanie Joubert, Program Manager for Freedom of Religion & Belief Mensen Met Een Missie, explained the importance of documenting JISRA’s good work from various different locations in Indonesia from various perspectives ranging from academics, Islamic boarding schools, and also community facilitators. “We need to write down the recommendations that emerge from interfaith work on environmental issues, including feminism, gender, women’s leadership and spread the information throughout the world, because people all over the world are looking for good inspiration like this,” she added.
This talk show presented three female activists who are involved in community assistance, they are Dewi Candraningrum, Thoatillah Jafar, and Martdiana, then Yuniyanti Chuzaifah as the moderator. The three of them shared their knowledge and experience in involving young people and women in their communities to build peace with an approach to environmental issues.
Dewi Candraningrum shared the results of her study that domestic care work was quite successfully carried out by women’s groups in various regions as a form of protest against environmental damage, such as weaving, sewing, cooking, and even building public kitchens. These actions were able to expel large corporations that were looting their natural resources. “I agree with the interfaith movement for the earth and making environmental damage a common enemy, but the strategic proposal is that the ecological movement must be political, so that it can invite cooperation from many parties,” said the woman who is currently also active as a lecturer at the Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta.
“Women need to be at the decision table everywhere in climate policy. Both the energy sector, theology, because when the interpretation is available and sufficient, and fair to the earth, da’iyah or female religious leaders can be strong in voicing the preservation of nature,” she continued. Apart from that, according to Dewi, interfaith actors need to support women’s leadership, support women’s reproductive health, seat women at decision tables, and fund women’s organizations.
Meanwhile, Bu Nyai, Thoatillah Jafar’s nickname, Caretaker of the Islamic Boarding School KHAS Kempek Cirebon, shared the importance of female Ulama being actively involved in education in the context of awareness, as well as improving methods of preaching that are polite, friendly, and full of affection. “All of us fellow humans have the right and obligation to help, assist, and remind each other in goodness,” she said. As the Khalifa, continued Bu Nyai, humans have full responsibility to preserve the earth and its contents, so that it is sustainable, and does not cause damage.
As an effort to fight the climate crisis, she also shared the story of the EMAS (Civil Ecosystem for Overcoming Waste) Islamic Boarding School Program at Boarding School she attended. “Here we teach the students that trash or items that we don’t use can still be sorted and processed so that we can reuse them,” she explained. “In the future, we need to continue to make efforts to strengthen women’s institutions for climate justice, and create broader collaboration with interfaith groups,” said Bu Nyai.
Meanwhile, Martdiana, a female activist from Poso who had dark experiences and was affected by the religious conflict in Poso in 1998, shared her experience in accompanying interfaith youth exchange activities, where in this activity, Christian youth had the opportunity to carry out activities and stay for two nights in a village with the majority population is Muslim, and vice versa. She also told the story of how a female fish seller carried out reconciliation by selling her fish to a village where the majority of the population was Christian.
“The meeting space that occurs between individuals with different religious backgrounds gives them the opportunity to dialogue, share stories and eliminate prejudice between one another,” she said, who is now active as a facilitator for the Village Reform School (Sekolah Pembaharu Desa), Institute Mosintuwu Poso. “Now we are focusing on developing waste management efforts that can have economic value in the village, by involving young people and womens from across faiths, such as making bag crafts, ecobricks, and so on,” she said.
Furthermore, Yuniyanti Chuzaifah, former Chair of the National Commission on Violence Against Women who acted as moderator, added that human rights are the core of connecting efforts to protect nature. “Environmental issues are global issues, so a global solidarity response is needed, including across faiths, between religions and beliefs,” said Yuni.
The issue of waste management and other similar issues, according to women who are now active in providing assistance on women’s and peace issues, should not just be an activity, but as a strategy and bridge to bring about human and universal peace, and not discriminate against certain groups. “By supporting women’s organizations through funding, this is our concrete form of ensuring space for the ecological movement to continue,” she concluded.
