Representasi Identitas Muslimah Modern “Jilbab Traveler” dalam Novel Karya Asma Nadia

Abstract

Following the fall of the New Order era, which encouraged media development and openness, Islam was positioned as a dominant identity in public spaces. Asma Nadia is one of the actors who is become one part of those phenomena. Her works in novels, films and soap operas have succeeded in combining modern elements with Islamic symbols and values. The theme of Jilbab traveler is one example. Applying text analysis focusing on three works of Asma Nadia’s novels, namely The Jilbab Traveler; Assalamualaikum Beijing; Jilbab Traveler: Love Sparks in Korea, this article reveals that Asma Nadia illustrates "jilbab traveler" as both agile and pious. The ambition to travel around the world accompanied by its inherent attributes represents the figure of “jilbab traveler” as an agile woman, while hijab (veil) presents an image of a pious woman. On the other side, the wearing of the veil becomes a distinction and provides such negotiation space and illustrates the hegemonic masculinity of patriarchal culture.

Islam, Perempuan, Dan Wacana Modernitas Dalam Ratu Yang Bersujud Karya Mahdavi Dan Serial Jilbab Traveler Karya Asma Nadia

“…Dua penelitian ini memfokuskan pada cara perempuan Islam atau muslimah dalam menghadapi wacana tentang kebebasaan dan pandangan negatif atas posisinya. Sementara itu, penelitian yang setopik dilakukan oleh Putri yang mempersoalkan cara perempuan muslimah dan mempertahankan identitas keislamannya melalui simbol jilbab (Putri 2020).…”

“…Beberapa contoh dari penelitian tersebut memberikan bukti bahwa persoalan Islam dan perempuan pada umumnya dikaji atau dilihat dari prespektif bahwa perempuan terbelenggu oleh interpretasi ajaran Islam yang bias dan patriarkis. Namun, ada penelitian yang cenderung melihat bahwa perempuan dan Islam harus dilihat dari sudut pandang tentang keberadaan perempuan dan upayanya mencari cara untuk bermain dalam konteks arena penafsiran ajaran Islam di wilayah konteks budaya patriarkis, seperti yang dikemukakan oleh Udasmoro (2017) dan Putri (2020). Kedua penelitian tersebut melihat subjek pengarang yang mengangkat suara perempuan dalam arena yang patriarki melalui identitas jilbab dan usaha untuk tetap patuh pada ajaran agama meskipun bernegosiasi dengan keadaan tersebut.…”

Being young female Muslims in Islamic fictions: Moral anxiety, faith primacy and ideal image discourse

“…While the pressure of ideality in modern life is likely to tantalise, religious values are simultaneously needed to nurture the faith and ensure still being part of the devout Muslim community. To negotiate both, Asma Nadia reconstructs and reinterprets the meaning of mobility becoming a more religious journey, rather than 'a secular' one (Putri, 2020). "…juga misi mendunia dan menebar rahmat, selain mengoreksi citra muslim-muslimah."…”

“…In "Jilbab Traveller: Love Sparks in Korea" novel, for instance, she visualizes the figure of Rania, a woman wearing a veil combined with a loose t-shirt, matching jacket, jeans skirt, stylist blouse, and booth (see Figure 1). Furthermore, she also addresses one Muslim clothing brand to define the figure's characteristics as a modest and agile woman (Putri, 2020), besides presenting a fashionable impression. Confirmed by Jones (2010:622), through her analyses of some Asma Nadia's works particularly about the hijab, she concludes that Asma Nadia has generated two contrasting concerns.…”

“…The hegemonic masculinity (Connell, 1995) and the dominant structure position women in the domestic arena (Udasmoro, 2017) has become embedded social imaginary (Taylor, 2004), even among female writers. Putri (2020) has also proven that the negotiation process is significant in several Asma Nadia's works. It is argued that, rather than portraying an 'authority' for women thoroughly, Asma Nadia prefers to negotiate by applying Islamic symbols and values amid a developed modern identity in her works.…”