Pesantrens for Girls in Changing Times
Though women are said to occupy an important position in Islam, societal taboos often prevent women from assuming an active role. Several girls-only pesantrens (Islamic boarding schools) are trying to counter such views by teaching their students gender equality, emancipation and diversity. Efforts to elevate women's position and their role in society were topics of discussion at the Indonesian Women Ulema Congress in Cirebon, West Java, late April. The Congress attempted to bring the woman's voice into mainstream interpretations of Islam thus far dominated by male clerics.
June 27, 2017
HUNDREDS ofpeople gathered at the Diniyyah Islamic School for Girls in Padang Panjang, West Sumatra to attend a screening. Students and members of their families were mesmerized as they watched the film in the 600-capacity school hall.
The film showed the students' dreams and aspirations. Gebi Emira, for example, aspires to be an expert in tourism and to run her own non-governmental organization. The grade-9 student also has another aspiration s
...