From left to right : Rizal Rozhan, Kelvin Ang, Victoria Cheng, Netusha Naidu, Saran Anandan, Neda Al-Asedi
Projek Dialog has successfully arranged ‘Male Feminists : A Roundtable Discussion’ which was held on the 11th of April 2018 at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus under a collaboration with PHIR-Nott (a student society under the School of International Relations). More than 40 people have attended the forum alongside the Moderator, Victoria Cheng from Projek Dialog and the invited panel of speakers.
The panel consists of Rizal Rozhan from Empower, Kelvin Ang from Women’s Aid Organisation, Netusha Naidu from Imagined Malaysia (also a fellow student of University of Nottingham), Saran Anandan and Neda Al-Asedi representing themselves from the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. This forum was initially intended to be held one year ago but was cancelled due to the university’s administrative restrictions. Thankfully, the forum was granted approval and it was received positively by the audience consisting mostly of the university students themselves.
Victoria began the forum by thanking the Liyana Nadhirah, the President of PHIR NOTT, for its dedication in organising the event and then proceeded to ask the panel of speakers to introduce themselves. Victoria kickstarted the roundtable with the first question for Kelvin – What are the statistics of gender-based violence and how would his work impact the community.
Kelvin decided to drop the audience a crash course on domestic violence starting from a figure for them to ponder upon: Around 5000 cases were reported by PDRM this year and it continues to grow steadily. Nonetheless, he confessed that the figure was low as there are indeed more unreported cases of domestic violence in the country. ⅔ of the cases were reported by women and ⅓ were by men. He emphasized that the source of domestic violence is related to power within a relationship and that the gender component is also a key factor in the gender of the abuser.
In the PDRM report mentioned, PDRM managed to breakdown not only the gender of the abuser, but also the relationship of the abuser with the victim in a household such as ‘husband to wife’ or even ‘father to son’. Kelvin pinpointed the origins of victimhood and that it began in childhood – Whether the child was conditioned to perform a role based on gender, and how victims have remain trapped in the same cycle in later life.
He later expressed his disappointment towards the authorities’ lack of seriousness in protecting victims because they assume domestic violence to be a petty domestic affair. This is where Women’s Aid Organisation would come in – they help victims access resources that are available in terms of physical, emotional, sexual, social, and financial means. Lastly, he added that Marital Rape has not been classified as a crime in Malaysia (yet!) and how his organisation is formulating an Anti-Stalking Law which is currently in the works.
Kelvin discussing WAO’s services and importance to the crowd
Victoria then turned to Rizal for a 2-part question: “How can we succeed in including women in more decision-making roles” and “Is it true that women do not like to be leaders?”. Rizal answered that we would need an overhaul or a systemic change in the way society thinks about women and leadership. This ties in with EMPOWER’s mission statement – ‘The belief that every woman is a Leader’ through advocating gender education in schools.
Rizal also talked about the workshops that EMPOWER does with men to educate them to better understand and support gender equality. He expressed a feeling of defeat when he retold his encounters with many groups of women and girls who are too used to internalized patriarchy; they believe that women should not lead in society. Stereotypes such as menstruation being an obstacle in leadership is deeply engrossed in society that such attitudes have impaired women to move up the ladder and causes them to fall behind in socio-economic development.
Netusha was then put on the spotlight as Victoria asked her about the hidden aspects of Malaysian history focusing on women or the queer community which are not made available in Malaysian textbooks. Netusha began by informing the audience of the importance of her work in providing an alternative historical narrative of Malaysia in order to address gaps in narratives that are reflective of Malaysia’s socio-political terrain.
She shared a few articles from her archive such as news clippings on women leading a demonstration against the Malayan Union, Angkatan Wanita Sedar and how they played a part in the Malay Left-wing nationalist movement, an article written in Jawi which debated feminism’s alleged incompatibility with the teachings of Islam, as well as a photo of a 19th century ceramic artifact which depicts the normalcy of both heterosexual and homosexual intimate relations in Malaysian society that is not publicly known today.
Netusha presenting an article from The News Straits Times on the projector screen
Before Victoria opened the floor for questions from the students, she raised a question to them regarding the #metoo and #timesup movements that have recently went viral worldwide. She then asked Neda on her thoughts of the movement and what she would like to see more of. Neda points out that the hashtag movement had sparked a wave of following in the west but did not have much following locally. She stressed that the movement was a universal movement because of the common purpose it provides to everyone regardless of nationality, age, gender, race or religion.
Neda hopes that everyone, including men or male allies will speak out more about sexual harassment and women’s rights because it is also important for men to talk about it in as the movement is for everyone, not just women. She highlighted the dilemma some men and male feminists feel – they want to say things on the issue but are afraid to overshadow women’s voices or take up too much space. She points out that men should definitely talk about feminism so that it would help other men to better understand feminism.
Audience enjoying the exchange of dialogues between themselves with the invited speakers
Victoria then asked Saran about his thoughts on Neda’s answers – Is it more harmful or helpful for men to be feminists, and how can men avoid ‘taking up too much space’ while being responsive and participatory? Saran acknowledges the importance of men to speak up more because he believes that feminism is about equality in opportunity and treatment.
He added that by speaking up, men will also have the opportunity to reflect on toxic masculinity and how patriarchy harms them as well. He mentioned that men do not reflect much on such topics due to fear of being labelled an attention-seeker or as someone who seeks validation. “You’re talking about it because you want people to like you.”, he said. He suggested for men to become better listeners and to be spatially aware when they speak so that they don’t end up taking up space within the circle.
For the 2nd part of the forum, Victoria asked the audience to pitch their own understanding of toxic masculinity. One of the audience members replied, “I think toxic masculinity is a set of standards men feel they need to meet. What happens to other men who cannot meet these expectations? When we think about feminism, some people think of it as a fight between men and women when in reality some men are ostracized due to the patriarchal expectations set out for them.”
Netusha added there were also portrayals of toxic femininity other than toxic masculinity in the media that we needed to start questioning. These portrayals are repackaged by capitalism which feeds onto our general insecurities. Rizal interjected by adding that men lacked self-reflection as they perceive it as time-wasting. He confided that his own male friends questioned him when he expressed self-reflection on social issues. He concluded that the problem lies in people favouring an alternate reality and believes that men should start asking themselves more questions about their prevailing attitudes, behaviour and mentality.
Another audience member remarked that men do not view self-reflection as time-wasting but rather as unnecessary. She believes that men never had to face oppression like women do therefore they never found self-reflecting to be necessary in the first place – especially if they were cisgendered and heterosexual.
Going back to Netusha, she once again drew attention to the relationship between capitalism and toxic masculinity by linking the two with patriarchy and vice versa. Based on her historical perspective, Neo-colonialism is the point of reference as the era approaches modernisation. This era highlights the starting point of capitalism because affluent white men were in power and decided on the code of societal norms that men must fulfill in order to be successful.
Audience members were quick to express their individual thoughts and opinions regarding toxic masculinity
Lastly, as Victoria opened the floor for the Questions and Answers session, one of the attendees asked the panel of speakers for their thoughts on what being a ‘Bad Feminist’ means. Neda points out that there is a public misconception of feminists based on the actions of the individuals who harbour hatred towards men and how that misbehaviour has tainted the general reputation and overall feminist movement.
In her opinion, Netusha said feminists who lack kindness and tolerance would be considered to be a bad feminist. From her personal experience, bad feminists from different backgrounds whether it is academic or non-profit can display intolerance towards other feminists with different perspectives or personal convictions. The other feminists perceived to be ‘inexperienced’ would then be judged for not being ‘feminist’ enough. She gave an example of how a more senior feminist would utilize their influence and position as an activist to delegitimize another feminists’ stance. It stretched to a point where some of them projected negativity due to feeling threatened instead of becoming empowered by other feminists.
However, Rizal felt that the label ‘bad feminist’ carried a negative connotation as it is often used to dismiss the whole feminist movement comprising of both good and bad events that make up the movement. He emphasized how there is a lot of different interpretations of feminism. He theorized that in order to create change and to ‘shake up’ the environment, it is best to do it slow and steady to avoid being dismissed easily by naysayers.
As the forum reached its end, Victoria summed up the session with a closing statement on how anyone who considers themselves as feminists have at one point or many times in their lives, did or said something that would warrant being called a “bad feminist”, due to human error and personal or individual shortcomings. This is not something that is defeatist, in fact it is more empowering to know how human each and everyone is. It could actually be the common binding element that can solidify the collective growth of feminists all round the world.
A group photo of the speakers with the audience]]>
PREVIEW : MALE FEMINISTS – A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
Is feminism for men, or does it make victims of men?
With the recent #metoo and #timesup movements spreading across the globe, and the women’s march in Kuala Lumpur gaining momentum, what is the role of a man in all this? Can the world be a better place if men were to stand up with women and fight systemic oppression together? How do we talk about this without robbing the spaces and voices of women?
Come find out if the gender pay gap is a myth, how rape culture is perpetrated, and learn about toxic masculinity, while unlearning it at the same time. Let us delve into this layered discussion together with Kelvin Ang, an Advocacy Officer from WAO; Rizal Rozhan, a women’s rights activist from EMPOWER; Netusha Naidu, the founder of Imagined Malaysia; Saran Anandan, and Neda Al-Asedi, who are brilliant and thoughtful students from UNMC.]]>
Merata Suara: A Journey Through The Margins
From Left to Right: Suzy, Victoria, Eleanor, Okui, Yana, Poodien and Fuad[/caption]
The prime objective of the project is to offer a platform for the voices of marginalized communities in which each artist is partnered with a location partner as such:
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Eleanor representing Malaysian Borneo’s indigenous people
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Okui with the Indonesian migrant worker community ‘Serantau’
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Poodien with Lydia Anak Botek from the Orang Asal community in Kampung Gebok, Negeri Sembilan
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Victoria with Madam Norzihah Kasim, a silat teacher from Gurun, Kedah
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Yana with Madam Jane, Kwei Ling and Lean Thai who were the ex-communist guerillas of the 1970s.
The project has produced 4 installations and 1 performance which highlighted the respective communities through the marginal narratives within Malaysia’s social-political terrain. The exhibition name ‘Merata Suara’ is derived from a wordplay in Malay which can mean “to spread voices” or “to even out the voices” both of which speak to democratic aspirations; a gesture that greatly reflects the core values of this project. In the words of the Curator, “Understandably, marginal narratives exist because the grand narratives are buttressed in place. Grand narratives that catapult a national identity can only succeed by suppressing other narratives and creating a “margin” by demarcating arbitrary boundaries and drawing up territorial lines to separate us.”
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- The two month-long exhibition featured an array of sessions;
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9th Feb – Opening Ceremony of Merata Suara
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10th Feb – Launch Day
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11th Feb – East Malaysia Artists Talk + Beading Workshop with Eleanor Goroh
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14th Feb – Erika Tan: Archival Turns/Transnational Returns
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21st Feb – A Brief History of Malaysian Queerness with Dorian and Dina
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24th Feb – Silat-Tru Rahim! Silat Performance and poetry recital with Kak Ji, Cikgu Salleh and Victoria
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25th Feb – Hari Bersama Serantau (featuring Okui Lala)
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28th Feb – Performance Lecture by Lawrence Ross: Malay Performing Arts and the Body Politic
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3rd Mar – A World to Win: Conversations with History (featuring Aunty Jane, Kwei Ling, Lean Thai and Yana)
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4th Mar – Bengkel Rap Anak Muda (Youth Rap Workshop) with Edry Faizal and Stories from Kampung Gebok with Kak Lydia and Poodien

During the ‘East Malaysia Talks!’ forum, Eleanor poured her heart out concerning the unequal distribution of wealth and how East Malaysia still relies on funding from West Malaysia despite producing most of the natural resources. Interdependence between the East and the West is considered a new approach and a crucial step towards building awareness amongst Malaysians regarding the rights and contributions of East Malaysians and its importance for the development of the East. Sonia added her frustrations on how the West Malaysians’ denial of East Malaysian identity is a reflection of the government’s failure to educate the West and elevate the status of the East alongside the West.
Merata Suara’s highest viewed dialogue session was ‘The Brief History of Malaysian Queerness’ with Ms Dina Pattinson and Mr Dorian Wilde. Forum attendance was amazing and we easily had about 50 people in a small space. During the session, Dorian explained and touched on numerous topics which consisted of gender identity, sexual orientation, sex, and gender expression. He also talked about attitudes towards transgender communities in precolonial Malaysian society, queer identities which existed in different states of the country, and precolonial records of homosexuality and trans-masculinity in the region. Modern-day cases were highlighted, such as the progression of conservatism and Mukhayyam programs as well as arrests and detention as the LGBT community has entered Malaysia’s mainstream consciousness. Dorian noted that gender diversity and interrelations between genders were more flexible and there were also equal relationships between men and women, with the women given more autonomy and social mobility in the Asean region, all before colonisation. There are many ways the institution can exploit the law, especially Islamic law, for the purposes of moral policing as Dorian broke down the evolution of Malaysian law from 1985 onwards. Dina, who memorized historical narratives regarding the ‘Mak Nyah’ community, added that the traditions, customs and the folklore saga of the Bugis, Javanese and other communities in the Malay Archipelago have long embraced and respected the LGBT community. Despite the historical testament, “It is difficult to reclaim because religious authorities have labelled the Bissu as syirik or khurafat. There is a conservative Islamic dimension to contend with.”, Dina answered when an audience member asked whether the Trans-women in the past were much better or happier with their positions in the past or would they seek something more given their roles to play back then.
The combination of a powerful Silat performance by Kak Ji synchronized together with a moving poetry recital from Cikgu Salleh make a spectacle which expresses the struggles in the pursuit of female ambition into the Male-dominated world of Silat. After the performance, Victoria and the performing duo sat down with the audience to further engage and exchange personal experiences while working together for their art, and finding connections through historical and cultural narratives while giving us a fun little glimpse into ‘Feminine’ martial arts such as the art of ‘Cindai’ found in Silat Gayong using merely a Sarong as the main weapon.
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During ‘A World to Win: Conversations with History’ session, Aunty Kwei Ling, Aunty Foo Ting and Aunty Jane recounted their personal experience in being part of the Communist army and how their deprived socio-economic upbringing have played the deciding factor in their choice of joining the army.
Aunty Jane talked about how it was like to live and fight Guerilla-style – and how they had to sleep in cemeteries to evade arrest and capture while Aunty Foo Ting recounted her tales of working in a factory where she’d work in producing kitchen utensils by day and studying by night before becoming a guerrilla fighter for the army. Aunty Kwei Ling spoke of how they would spend their leisurely hours learning Marxism and Leninism or playing table tennis in the past. They talked about how during her service in the army, they have successfully helped raise 4 villages in the border of Hatyai which consists of 2 Malay and 2 Chinese villages. She even revealed how they used to defend the safety of the villages located on the border of Thailand as it was under the attack of robbers during the time.
“If it was so bad at the time, why would the Sultan of Perak even want to see these people in the first place?”, Yana, the Artist-Activist in collaboration with Aunty Jane, Kwei Ling and Foo Ting analysed how racial tensions were the centre of the historical narratives reported instead of Communism which happened between 1946 and 1970s. “What is also not in the media is the amount of community work the communists do for the poor and for the Orang Asli. They have picked up languages that are not their own, and are also very familiar with the culture and way of life of others.”
Aunty Jane’s words resonated throughout the room, “Keep in mind that our voices were not in the media back then. Others were speaking for us whether it is true or not. There was also a lot of fabrication about things like communist soldiers murdering people senselessly.”
‘Stories from Kampung Gebok’ with Kak Lydia and Poodien. Kak Lydia is one of the women of the Temuan Indigenous tribes located in Mantin, Negeri Sembilan and her community has been resisting and fighting off outsiders which threatened to exploit their ancestral land. She explained how recently, her community is pressured to accept outsiders coming into their land to grab resources for the purposes of mining and how the authorities did not provide the support needed to stop the problem.
“In our village, the women have as much rights to voice out their opinions as much as the men. Together we learned how to use the GPS, to study and measure land so that we could conduct a community mapping of our land. JAKOA only measured our land to 38 acres only but we managed to obtain a total figure of 257.5 hectares of land.”
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For ‘Hari Bersama Serantau’ session, we experienced one whole day filled with fun and educational activities which consisted of an Indonesian cuisine cooking workshop, Jaipong dance and poetry recitals as well as exchanges on the dialogue session between the migrant workers and KBRI Kuala Lumpur (Malaysian Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia).
The dialogue session was primarily conducted in Bahasa Indonesia and the session mainly revolved around the issue of migrant workers suffering from abuse and exploitation due to their lack of awareness of their rights as well as the lack of law enforcement from the authorities expected to serve and uphold their rights. In November 2017, there was an inquiry into laws and regulations which protects migrant workers upon their work confirmation; it lists the abilities and responsibilities of KBRI in defending domestic help in Malaysia, the status of the Memorandum of Understanding between Malaysia and Indonesia and how it will affect migrant workers, the role of BPJS (Social security administrator), as well as a recent case – an Indonesian maid named Adelina who was abused to death – and the steps and solutions to be taken to avoid or minimalize similar incidents from happening again.
Merata Suara is an exhibition to be experienced and celebrated amongst everyone as it creates multiple bridges connecting with the ‘invisible’ communities we often hear of and perhaps encounter, but are rarely involved with. Merata Suara as a whole has created a dynamic and inclusive space to encourage the blurring of boundaries between people with differences in cultural backgrounds. The Merata Suara exhibition is currently available for public viewing on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) from 11 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. until the 25th of March. Gallery admission is free for all.
]]>Muftiya Malaysia
Oleh Afiq M. Noor Dari Ibn Abbas RA berkata: Umar bin Khattab RA berkata: “Dahulu kami, pada masa Jahiliyah, tidak mempedulikan perempuan sama sekali. Kemudian setelah Islam datang dan Allah mengakui keberadaan mereka, barulah kami sedar mereka juga memiliki hak yang sama ke atas kami”. – Sahih Al Bukhari [Hadith No. 5904] Wacana Islam dan perempuan boleh dikatakan sebagai satu wacana yang agak kontroversial di mana-mana belahan dunia tidak terkecuali Malaysia. Kata orang, perempuan, yang membentuk lebih dari separuh populasi dunia seringkali di anggap sahabat yang sering dimusuhi oleh agama. Benarkah begitu? Jauh sebelum kedatangan Islam ke semenanjung tanah arab, perempuan sudah (terlalu) lama dimusuhi. Adat dan kebudayaan arab sebelum kedatangan Islam telah menempatkan perempuan pada posisi yang paling tidak manusiawi. Perempuan tidak dianggap sebagai manusia selayaknya lelaki, bahkan mereka dianggap seperti barang dagangan yang dimiliki lelaki dan digunakan semahunya. Perempuan dimarginalkan bukan hanya di ruang awam bahkan di ruang domestik, mereka dianggap membawa sial dalam keluarga dan masyarakat serta boleh diwariskan seperti barang. Masyarakat arab juga sangat terkenal dengan praktik ‘wa’dul banat’ atau menanam anak perempuan hidup-hidup kerana takut kecelakaan dek kerana perempuan. Kemudian Allah S.W.T mengutuskan Muhammad S.A.W untuk mereformasikan adat dan budaya yang telah lama berakar di dalam masyarakat arab. WAWASAN EGALITARIAN QURANI Gagasan Al Quran dalam mereformasikan budaya dan sikap masyarakat arab dilakukan secara gradual (bi al tadrij). Perempuan mula diletakkan pada posisi yang sepatutnya dan diberikan hak-haknya sedikit demi sedikit. Dalam masa yang sama wawasan Al Quran yang egalitarian untuk memposisikan kesetaraan di antara perempuan dengan lelaki, hamba dengan merdeka mula di perkenalkan lewat firman-firman tuhan seperti – “Wahai orang-orang yang beriman, jadilah saksi yang adil kerana Allah dan janganlah kerana kebencian kamu kepada sesuatu kelompok menghalang kamu dari berlaku adil. Berlaku adillah kerana ia lebih dekat dengan taqwa” [Quran 5:8] dan banyak lagi pesan-pesan universal sebagai acuan reformasi bagi memperbetulkan hubungan sosial-kemasyarakatan, ekonomi dan politik masyarakat arab yang sudah lama rosak. Tidak dapat dinafikan bahawa konsep Tauhid sebagaimana yang telah di singgung oleh ramai intelektual Muslim merupakan permulaan kepada konsep egalitarian yang cuba diperkenalkan oleh Al Quran. Semua makhluk – perempuan, lelaki, hamba, merdeka, arab atau a’jam (non-arab) adalah sama pada pandangan Allah dan yang membezakan nilai antara kita adalah taqwa atau lebih senang saya ertikan sebagai yang punya nilai kemanusiaan. Ini setarikan nafas dengan apa yang dikatakan oleh Ibn Qayyim – “Sesungguhnya syariah itu dibangun atas dasar kebijaksanaan dan kemaslahatan manusia kini dan akan datang. Semua hukum-hukum syariah seharusnya bersifat adil, rahmat, maslahah dan bijak. Maka setiap persoalan atau tafsiran hukum yang menyimpang dari dasar-dasar yang disebutkan di atas, bukanlah bahagian dari syariah…” [I’lam Al Muwaqi’in, Vol 3, hal.3] PEREMPUAN DALAM TIMBANGAN SYARIAH Perjuangan Islam dalam memposisikan kesetaraan perempuan dengan lelaki bukanlah satu tugas yang mudah. Sudah pastilah terdapat resistensi dalam masyarakat yang umumnya sangat patriakal (maaf, saya masih menggunakan istilah ini walaupun ia dibenci oleh segelintir Islamis). Justeru Islam harus berkompromi dan memberikan akomodasi dengan struktur sosial, politik dan budaya masyarakat arab ketika itu. Sebagai contoh, isu kesaksian perempuan sebagaimana yang dinyatakan di dalam Surah Al Baqarah ayat 282 – “…dan persaksikanlah dengan dua orang saksi lelaki diantara kamu, dan jika tidak ada dua orang lelaki maka boleh seorang lelaki dan dua orang perempuan dari saksi-saksi yang kamu redhai, supaya jika salah seorang diantara mereka (saksi perempuan) lupa maka seorang lagi mengingatkannya..” Perempuan yang sebelum kedatangan Islam tidak dianggap sebagai manusia bahkan lebih teruk layanannya dari seekor unta merah dan tidak diberikan ruang ditempat awam termasuk memiliki harta kini diberikan hak untuk menjadi saksi dalam urusan hutang piutang. Maka rasional Al Quran untuk menyamakan dua orang perempuan dengan satu lelaki dalam ayat di atas kerana ia bukan kebiasaan bagi perempuan-perempuan arab sebelum kedatangan Islam untuk memiliki harta dan terlibat dalam urusan awam. Sedangkan dalam ayat-ayat yang lain Al Quran tidak membezakan kesaksian lelaki dan perempuan, misalnya didalam masalah li’an (suami yang menuduh isterinya berzina) – “Dan orang-orang yang menuduh isterinya berzina, padahal mereka tidak dapat mendatangkan saksi-saksi lain selain dari diri mereka sendiri hendaklah dia bersumpah sebanyak empat kali dengan nama Allah bahawa dia adalah orang yang benar” [Quran 24:6] Nah, ternyata kesaksian seorang isteri dinilai sama dengan kesaksian seorang suami dalam hal yang cukup berat membabitkan kehormatan dan keturunan. Tetapi sayang wawasan egalitarian Al Quran dalam menempatkan lelaki dan perempuan pada kedudukan yang setara tidak diteruskan oleh ulama klasik dan kebanyakan dari ulama kontemporari. Pengetahuan kepada struktur sosial dan sejarah politik masyarakat arab pra-penurunan Al Quran dan sewaktu Al Quran diturunkan adalah satu keperluan asas kepada ulama yang ingin menekuni teks-teks sacral agama. Al Syatibi di dalam Al Muwafaqat menyatakan – “..Sesiapa yang hendak mempelajari Al Quran dan Sunnah hendaklah memahami tradisi dan adat bangsa arab sewaktu Al Quran diturunkan dan ketika Nabi S.A.W menerangkannya kepada masyarakat. Mengabaikan tradisi dan budaya masyarakat arab ini akan menimbulkan kesulitan di dalam memahami misi besar Islam..” Saya kira, kita dapat bersetuju bahawa kebanyakkan hukum-hakam fiqh seputar isu-isu perempuan masih berada di takuk lama. Perempuan masih lagi diposisikan sebagai kelas kedua atau lebih rendah dari lelaki walaupun realitinya, bilangan perempuan jauh lebih banyak di insitusi-institusi pendidikan tinggi di dalam dan di luar negara, mereka menyelesaikan universiti dengan nilai yang lebih baik dari kebanyakkan pelajar lelaki. Perempuan juga mengisi posisi-posisi penting di bidang pekerjaan, pembuat dasar dan polisi negara bahkan tidak keterlaluan saya katakan ‘overall performance’ perempuan lebih baik berbanding lelaki. Tetapi dari sudut keagamaan mereka dianggap “complimentary” kepada lelaki. Adilkah begitu? Pada akhirnya, kita dengan berat hati terpaksa bersetuju bahawa perempuan yang melahirkan semua manusia (lelaki dan perempuan), menyusukan dan membesarkan kita semua dan membentuk lebih dari separuh populasi dunia terpasung kebebasannya di dalam pasungan agama. Benarlah, perempuan yang menjadi rakan baik agama sering dimusuhi oleh rakan baiknya sendiri dengan tafsiran-tafsiran agama yang menyudutkan perempuan di ruang yang tidak selayaknya. Saya tidak menyalahkan Islam, tetapi individu-individu yang merasakan mereka punya legitimasi bercakap bagi pihak Tuhan dan mengabsahkan penindasan berstruktur kepada perempuan. MUFTIYA (MUFTI PEREMPUAN) UNTUK MALAYSIA Saya cuba mengambil sikap pertengahan terhadap polemik yang timbul di antara ulama progresif dan ulama tradisional (maaf, bukan niat saya ingin mempromosikan istilah ini tetapi sebagai pemahaman mudah para pembaca) dalam isu-isu yang melibatkan perempuan dan syariah. Saya tidak bersetuju sekiranya kita bermudah-mudah dalam mentafsirkan nas-nas syariah semahunya tanpa pedoman dan hanya bergantung kepada kritik budaya masyarakat arab jahilyyah semata-mata dan dalam masa yang sama, saya juga tidak bersetuju sekiranya kita terlalu kaku, rigid dan takut untuk meluaskan dan mengkritik aturan-aturan yang ditetapkan oleh ulama klasik. Menurut saya, para ulama, selain keperluan menguasai ilmu-ilmu alat dan perbahasan klasik, mereka perlu cakna dengan globalisasi, perubahan masyarakat dan ilmu-ilmu kontemporari supaya wawasan egalitarian Al Quran dapat dijelmakan dalam fatwa-fatwa dan hukum-hukum yang mereka keluarkan. Dr Ahmad Al Raysuni menyatakan – “..tidak diragui lagi, seorang mujtahid harus melengkapkan diri dengan ilmu pengetahuan dan kebijakan kontemporari yang perlu dia gunakan untuk mengeluarkan fatwa dan berijtihad” [Al Ijtihad: Al Nash, Al Waqi’, Al Maslahah hal. 59] Perempuan di Malaysia telah menjawat pelbagai jawatan-jawatan penting termasuk menteri bahkan tidak canggung kalau saya katakan para mufti, hakim, ulama yang ada sekarang turut terhutang budi dengan guru-guru perempuan yang kerana-nya mereka menjawat jawatan penting dan mengurus umat ini. Kita sudah punya hakim-hakim perempuan baik di mahkamah sivil mahupun syariah. Saya kira sudah sampai masanya Malaysia melantik Muftiya (Mufti Perempuan) kerana saya percaya ramai ilmuan perempuan di Malaysia yang berkelayakan untuk mengisi jawatan ini. Perlantikan Muftiya di Malaysia bukanlah sesuatu yang mustahil dan tidak ada halangan dari segi perundangan negara mahupun hukum fiqh. Imam Al Nawawi di dalam magnum opusnya Al Majmu’ Syarh Al Muhazzab yang menjadi panutan bermazhab di Malaysia tidak mensyaratkan mufti itu haruslah seorang lelaki. Intinya seorang mufti hendaklah seorang muslim atau muslimah yang mukallaf dan tsiqah (terpercaya), faqih serta berhati-hati dalam membuat keputusan. Nadiyah Al Umari dalam Al Ijtihad fil Islam menyatakan bahawa menjadi lelaki bukanlah syarat utama bagi menjadi mufti kerana sejarah Islam menunjukkan kepada kita para sahabat lelaki dan perempuan mengambil ilmu dan fatwa dari Aishah RH. Bahkan Muhammad Khairat di dalam Markaz Al Mar’ah Fil Islam menyatakan tidak menjadi masalah sekiranya seorang mufti itu adalah seorang hamba perempuan yang hitam dan bisu asalkan dia berupaya menerangkan fatwanya kepada mustafiy (orang yang meminta fatwa) dengan baik. Satu penelitian akademik telah dilakukan oleh sekumpulan ahli akademik dari Universiti Islam Malaysia (USIM) tentang perlantikan mufti perempuan di Malaysia. Dalam penelitian ini mereka telah menjalankan kajian lapangan dengan mewawancara responden-responden dari Jabatan Mufti Negeri Selangor. Dapatan dari penelitian mereka sangat menarik. Secara asasnya tidak ada halangan dari sudut perundangan dan fiqh bagi perempuan di lantik sebagai mufti dan menasihati Sultan atau Yang Di Pertuan Agong dalam urusan keagamaan, tetapi menurut mereka tugas sebagai mufti mengkehendaki lebih dari urusan fatwa, seperti mengiringi Sultan atau Yang Di Pertuan Agong ke luar negara, berbicara empat mata dengan Sultan dan urusan-urusan di ranah publik yang akan menimbulkan fitnah kepada perempuan sekiranya dilantik sebagai muftia. Menurut mereka lagi, terdapatnya keharusan melantik perempuan sebagai mufti tetapi jawatan mufti secara ‘uruf telah sinonim dengan lelaki, sekiranya peluang ingin diberikan kepada perempuan, mungkin lebih sesuai sekiranya mereka di lantik sebagai timbalan mufti. [The Appointment of Female Mufti in Malaysia: An Analysis on The Views of Fatwa Members, Journal of Fatwa Management & Research]. Mungkin di lain kesempatan, kita boleh meneliti secara kritis fenomena ‘fitnah’ perempuan ini sebagaimana yang difahami dalam teks-teks fiqh klasik dan adakah ruang untuk rekonstruksi makna ‘fitnah’ yang dilihat tidak menindas dan mematikan peran perempuan di ruang publik. Namun, maudhu’ perlantikan muftiya atau mufti perempuan di Malaysia bukanlah sesuatu yang mustahil. Sebelum saya mengakhiri tulisan ini, suka saya mengingatkan diri saya dan setiap lelaki di dunia ini, walau apa pun pangkatnya pasti dia tidak lebih baik dan mulia dari ibunya sendiri yang kerana-nya lah dia ada di dunia ini. Bahkan Ibn Hazm Al Andalusi menyatakan sekiranya sorang lelaki itu merasakan dirinya lebih baik dari Maryam, Aisyah atau Fatimah kerana dia lelaki sedangkan mereka perempuan, samada dia seorang yang bodoh atau bahkan kafir. Saya juga ingin mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mengucapkan selamat hari perempuan antarabangsa untuk semua perempuan di luar sana dan kepada bakal Muftiya Malaysia.]]>
MERATA SUARA
*Click on the important dates below to directly go to the event page for more details. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Merata Suara mempamerkan 5 tugasan seni. Ia bermula dengan niat untuk mewakili kehidupan-kehidupan dan suara-suara terpinggir tetapi beransur untuk menghasilkan satu disorientasi yang produktif: teman lokasi kami langsung memimpin wacana dan proses kreatif tersebut, sementara pihak artis memainkan peranan menyediakan pentas untuk luahan mereka. Proses yang amat kaya dengan pengalaman ini membawa kami untuk menyoal segala tanggapan budaya dan politik yang kami ada secara kritis, melalui suatu kerjasama di mana apa yang bermula sebagai hubungan di antara kolaborator menjadi persahabatan. 4 instalasi dan 1 persembahan di Merata Suara memaparkan perbualan-perbualan yang berbentuk ruang dan gambaran. Setiap karya mewakili suatu pertemuan di antara sudut pandang artis dan teman lokasi, meratakan ruang perbualan. Kami berharap untuk membuahkan seni yang menjangkaui penialaian estetika semata-mata kearah politik yang mikro yang menggelisahkan binari perpecahan dinamik kuasa dan suara pinggiran yang jarang disoal. Acara ini akan berlangsung selama satu bulan, bermula 10 Februari 2018 hingga 4 Mac 2018 di premis PROJEK DIALOG. Pelancaran: Tarikh: Sabtu, 10 Februari 2018 Masa: 2pm Alamat: D5-8-2, Pusat Perdagangan Dana 1, Jalan PJU1A/46, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor *Klik pada senarai tarikh penting di bawah untuk pergi ke laman acara untuk keterangan lanjut. ________________________________________________________________________ #MERATASUARA 9/2: Exhibition Opens! 10/2: Launch Day! 11/2: East Malaysia Artists Talk + Beading Workshop 14/2: Valentine’s Day Special 21/2: A Brief History of Malaysian Queerness 24/2: Silat-tru-rahim! 25/2: Hari Bersama Serantau 28/2: Performance Lecture by Lawrence Ross: Malay Performing Arts and the Body Politic 3/3: A World to Win: Conversations with History 4/3: Edry’s Rap Workshop + Jamming Session Exhibition will be closed from 15 to 18 FEB in observance of the Chinese New Year]]>
BENGKEL : Hak Asasi Manusia di Alam Melayu bersama Faisal Tehrani
Projek Dialog dan Artikel 19 akan mengadakan sebuah bengkel 4 hari bersama Faisal Tehrani yang akan membincangkan isu Hak Asasi Manusia di Alam Melayu secara intensif. Bengkel menyediakan tempat sebanyak 15-20 calon yang sesuai dan berminat untuk direkrut sebagai aktivis hak asasi manusia. Segera hantar maklumat ringkas mengenai diri anda ke Projek Dialog untuk menjadi yang bertuah!
Maklumat bengkel adalah seperti berikut:
Tempat: D5-8-2, Pusat Perdagangan Dana 1, Jalan PJU1A/46, 47301 Petaling Jaya
Hari: Sabtu & Ahad
Tarikh: 20-21 Januari & 27-28 Januari 2018
Masa: 10.30 am – 2.30 pm
Projek Dialog and Article 19 will be organizing a 4-day workshop at Projek Dialog’s premises. This intensive workshop will discuss about Human Rights in the Malay World with Faisal Tehrani and it is only open to 15-20 lucky applicants who are suitable and interested to become activists. Please submit your short bio to Projek Dialog to be among the chosen ones for this workshop!
Below are the details:
Venue: D5-8-2, Pusat Perdagangan Dana 1, Jalan PJU1A/46, 47301 Petaling Jaya
Day: Saturday & Sunday
Date: 20-21 January & 27-28 January 2018
Time: 10.30 am – 2.30 pm
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PRESS STATEMENT: AL-KITAB, A PATRIMONY OF CHRISTIANS
CHRISTIAN FEDERATION OF MALAYSIA PERSEKUTUAN KRISTIAN MALAYSIA (PPM-003-10-14011986) Address: 26 Jalan Universiti, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia Telephone / Fax : + 60 3 7957 1457 Email: cfmsia@yahoo.co.uk
20 November 2017
AL-KITAB, A PATRIMONY OF CHRISTIANS
The Christian Federation of Malaysia is affronted by the patronising suggestion that the national language centre, the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), can provide “an official translation” of the Al-Kitab, the Holy Bible in Bahasa Malaysia.
Having made this suggestion in court on 15 November as the counsel for MAIS, the Islamic Religious Council for Selangor, an amicus curiae in the Jill Ireland case, Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla, was then reported to hold on to his statement even in the face of an immediate outcry from the Christian community.
This is patently another attempt to infringe upon the constitutional right of Christians, as enshrined in Article 11 (3) of the Federal Constitution, to manage their own religious affairs. The Holy Bible and the Al-Kitab in Bahasa Malaysia form part of the sacred patrimony of Christians and any attempt by any person not authorised by the Christian churches to provide an authoritative version will be firmly rejected. This is not just an outrage to Christians and their sensibilities. It will be a most heinous form of offence against what all Christians believe to be divinely inspired Scriptures, the Word of God.
We reiterate that Bahasa Malaysia is not merely the language of a minority but in fact the majority of Christians in this country, and many words, including the word “Allah,” which we deeply revere, have been used since time immemorial by local Christians and Christians in the region as well as those in the Middle East.
As recently as 16 October His Royal Highness, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, the Sultan of Selangor, reminded all Selangor citizens to respect the main principles in the Federal Constitution for the country’s harmony and peace. As reported by the secretary of the Royal Court of Selangor : “The Malay rulers are of the opinion that the image of Islam as the Federal religion is a religion that should encourage its followers to be tolerant, moderate, inclusive and not polluted by extreme actions.”
Malaysians were also reminded on 10 October by the Conference of Rulers that all must adhere to the core principles embedded in the Federal Constitution, that this was drafted based on the understanding that ours is a country whose citizens are of diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds and that all must be respected. All who hope for continued unity and stability in our beloved country must surely take such wise and timely advice to heart for the betterment of all who live in our multi-ethnic and multi-religious community.Signed,
Archbishop Julian Leow Beng Kim Chairman and the Executive Committee, The Christian Federation of Malaysia.
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