Women shaping Islam Indonesian women reading the Qur'an Pieternella van Doorn-Harder

Literaturverz. S. [297] - 315

The book shows the active role Muslim women have played for nearly a century in the religious culture of Indonesia, the largest majority-Muslim country in the world. The author looks at the two leading Muslim organizations in Indonesia- Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). They have created enormous networks led by women who interpret sacred texts and exercise powerful religious influence. Pieternella van Doorn-Harder explores the work of these contemporary women leaders, examining their attitudes toward the rise of radical Islamists; the actions of the authoritarian Soeharto regime; women's education and employment; birth control and family planning; and sexual morality. In the first chapter Doorn-Harder elaborates on what these female islamic leaders themselves consider to bei an Indonesian feminist. Ultimately, van Doorn-Harder reveals the many ways in which Muslim women leaders understand and utilize Islam as a significant force for societal change; one that ultimately improves the economic, social, and psychological condition of women in Indonesian society.