Female Ulama’s authority : deconstructing masculine domination in Islamic norms and practices

Abstract

The network of Indonesian Women’s Ulema under KUPI has emerged to become a new reform in a religious landscape tinted with masculine domination. This paper aims to explain the KUPI’s conceptual hermeneutical framework in producing religious interpretations and the implication of the approach on constructing inclusive gender norms and practices. This qualitative research is based on the results of interviews and literature studies as the primary data. This study demonstrates that the collective agency and power of KUPI network and its authoritative claim allowed the emergence of an inclusive production of religious interpretations and norm. As a result, it creates room for women's voice and contribution within the social and religious normative frame. The significance of this study shows that the authority of female as ulama and the hermeneutical approach in the one hand, and in the other hand inclusive gender paradigm is allowing the KUPI network to initiate a reform in both social and religion domains. This research recommends further studies to uncover the challenges and dynamics of the network in creating a new direction of Islam in Indonesia and Muslim World.