Politicizing Piety

Abstract

The Tarbiyah (education) movement in Indonesia today is the best known and has the largest number of members amongst groups in the Dakwah (proselytizing) movements that mostly work in Indonesian campuses. Using the notion of Islamic feminism, this study aims to explore the numerous and varieties of women’s activities in this movement, especially in relation to the ways women see their rights and roles within their notion of piety. Female and male activists of the Tarbiyah movement in six state universities in East Java are used as data. Participant observations and in-depth interviews are used as techniques of data collection. Data collection was done from April 2015 to September 2016. One important finding indicates that the Tarbiyah members conceive that male and female are segregated in nature (biological construction), yet in fact they subscribe to concepts of women’s rights and equality while maintaining sexual segregation.

Women, Piety, and Religious Behavior (Case Study of the Muslimah Ummahat Sholehah Community in Sukodono Tahunan Jepara)

“…Second, the issue of piety is analyzed using gender and feminism perspectives (Amir-Moazami et al, 2011;Arimbi, 2017;Bangstad, 2011;Davis, 2008;Jacobsen, 2011;Peña, 2011;Rinaldo, 2013). The pietization movement carried out by Muslim women's groups can not necessarily be simplified as a form of rivalry against liberalism.…”

The Women of Jemaah Tarbiyah: Religion, Democracy, and the In-Between

“…One of the fundamental values in Jemaah Tarbiyah that attracts most of its female followers is the concept of women's rights and equality (Arimbi, 2017).…”

“…However, the female followers of Jemaah Tarbiyah create a distinction between their life within the movement and their life outside it. Within the movement, they dedicate themselves as the envisioned pious Muslim women, yet this will differ from their mundane and secular activities outside the movement (Arimbi, 2017) collective identity as members of social and religious groups. It represents how they see themselves as in-group vis-à-vis out-group members.…”

Of agency, Allah, and authority: the making of a divine trial among Muslims with same‐sex attraction in Indonesia

“…However, in the case of Muslims with SSA, the narrative of the Prophet Ibrahim never came up during our conversations.5 In this context, liqo' refers to regular religious mentoring sessions among the participants of the Tarbiyah movement in Indonesia. Through liqo' as cell forums, Tarbiyah groups conduct cadres training(Arimbi 2018: Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute (N.S.) , - © 2023 The Authors.…”

“…55In this context, liqo’ refers to regular religious mentoring sessions among the participants of the Tarbiyah movement in Indonesia. Through liqo’ as cell forums, Tarbiyah groups conduct cadres training (Arimbi 2018: 235). Scholars have argued that the Tarbiyah movement is strongly related to the Muslim revivalist movements in contemporary Indonesia and, consequently, has political connections with Islamist political parties like the Prosperous Justice Party/Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (Rinaldo 2013).…”