JAKARTA - Minister of Religion Nasaruddin Umar appreciates the performance of the cadres of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Fatayat who are considered capable of being present and contributing in various strategic spaces, both in the social, educational, government, and community empowerment fields.
"I don't want to say it is excessive, but try to compare, there are no female figures from other organizations as great as Nahdlatul Ulama women cadres. Not only in Indonesia, but also in international forums," said Nasaruddin Umar when attending the 76th Harlah at the Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta, Sunday.
Nasaruddin said NU women cadres had shown strong leadership capacity and were no less than women figures at the national and international levels.
He assessed that the action was proof that women had the same space to contribute to the nation and people.
The Minister of Religion highlighted the many NU women cadres who are now trusted to occupy important positions in the government and public institutions.
"This achievement is born from the long process of kaderisasi and dedication that has been carried out consistently by the NU Fatayat and NU Muslimat," said the Minister of Religion.
The Grand Imam of the Istiqlal Mosque also conveyed that women should not feel inferior or marginalized in the name of religion. He emphasized that the relationship between men and women in Islam is built on the principle of equality and complementarity.
"There is no argument that can be used to discredit women. All verses that talk about gender relations in the Quran use the concept of equality," he said.
He explained that a number of religious interpretations that have been considered to marginalize women actually originated from the culture of patriarchal society at a certain time, not from the substance of the teachings of the Quran itself.
Therefore, he encouraged Fatayat NU cadres to have intellectual courage in understanding religious texts more fairly and contextually.
He gave an example of the interpretation of Surah An-Nisa verse 34 about the relationship between men and women. According to him, the Ministry of Religion has improved a number of translations that are considered gender biased to emphasize more functional, not structural, relationships.
"Previously, it was translated that men were leaders for women. Now we understand it as protection for women. So the relationship is functional, not structural," he said.
Furthermore, Nasaruddin said that women have the same opportunity to become leaders as long as they have adequate capacity, integrity, and ability. He even revealed the experience of the Ministry of Religion, which is now led by a number of female rectors at state Islamic religious universities.
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