ABSTRACT: Political leadership of woman in Islam in Nusantara (Indonesia) has been existing long time ago. But in Indonesia, its discourse more existed at the end of the 19^th century. The strength of current understanding of woman political leadership as a leader (imam) in shalat (praying), it used at home and in the politics area becoming a status quo. The decision of MUI (Majlis Ulama Indonesia or Indonesian Ulema Council) — that forbids a woman to be a President — is not represent an acclamation in a comprehensive collective intellectual voluntary agreement, but the majority. Finally, their opinion has been dissociated by itself from the reality of leadership with division of duty from collective modern political leadership. The division of this duty made the leadership of woman can be realized in the politics area. Therefore, the political leadership of woman in its practical reality doesn’t have any resistance taken as forbidden reasons of the woman leadership, both from religion and ideological view.

KEY WORDS: gender, feminism, imām, woman study, ijtihād, and Islamic society in Indonesia.

About the Author: Dr. Haji Endis Firdaus is a Lecturer at the Study Program of Islamic Education, Faculty of Social Studies Education UPI (Indonesia University of Education), Jalan Dr. Setiabudhi No.229 Bandung 40154, West Java, Indonesia. He can be reached at: endisf@yahoo.com

How to cite this article? Firdaus, Endis. (2010). “The Existence of Gender-Feminism: Woman Leadership in Historical Momentum of Islamic Perspective in Indonesia” in TAWARIKH: International Journal for Historical Studies, Vol.1(2) April, pp.211-226. Bandung, Indonesia: ASPENSI [Asosiasi Sarjana Pendidikan Sejarah Indonesia], ISSN 2085-0980.

Chronicle of the article: Accepted (February 1, 2010); Revised (March 5, 2010); and Published (April 28, 2010).

Abū Fāris, ‘Abd al-Qadīr. (1984). Al-Niźām al-Siyāsī fī al-Islām. (n.c.: n.p.).

Amīn, Qāsim. (1990a). Al-Mar`aħ Al-Jadīdaħ. Mişr: Maţba‘aħ al-Sya‘b.

Amīn, Qāsim. (1990b). Taĥrīr al-Maraħ. Mişr: Maţba‘aħ al-Sya‘b.

Azra, Azyumardi. (1995). Jaringan Ulama Timur Tengah dan Kepulauan Nusantara Abad XVII dan XVIII: Melacak akar-akar Pembaruan Islam di Indonesia. Bandung: Mizan, second edition.

Badran, Margot. (1995). "Feminism" in John L. Esposito [ed]. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic Worlds. New York: Oxford University Press, Vol.II.

Bush, R. (1994). “An Evaluation of Indonesia State Ideology Regarding Woman and its Impact on Women Access to Agricultural Extension Program”. Unpublished M.A. Thesis. Ohio: Ohio University.

Cooke, Miriam. (2001). Women Claim Islam: Creating Islamic Feminism through Literature. London: Routledge.

Elposito, John L. [ed]. (1995). The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Engineer, Asghar Ali. (1992). The Right of Women in Islam. London: Routledge.

Engineer, Asghar Ali. (2002). Hak-hak Perempuan dalam Islām. Translation. Yogyakarta: Bentang.

Fakih, Mansour. (1997). Menggeser Konsepsi Gender dan Transformasi Sosial. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar.

Firdaus, Endis. (2008). Imam Perempuan: Dekonstruksi Perspektif Gender dan Keniscayaan Kontekstualisasi Politis Ajaran Islam di Indonesia. Jakarta: Pustaka Ceria.

Jaiz, Hartono A. (1998). Polemik Presiden Wanita. Jakarta: Pustaka Al-Kautsar.

Koderi, Muhammad. (1999). Bolehkah Wanita Menjadi Imam Negara? Jakarta: Gema Insani Press.

Lasmina, Umi. (1998). “Opini Perempuan Kelas Menengah tentang Kepemimpinan Perempuan” in Jurnal Perempuan, No.07. Jakarta: May-July, pp.24-29

Magazine of Jum’at, No.367. Jakarta: 1999.

Muhammad, K.H. Husein. (2001). Fiqh Perempuan: Refleksi Kiai atas Wacana Agama dan Gender. Yogyakarta: LKiS.

Munawar-Rachman, Budhy. (1996). “Islām dan Feminisme: Dari Sentralisme kepada Kesetaraan” in Mansour Fakih et al. [eds]. Membincang Feminisme: Diskurus Gender Prespektif Islām. Surabaya: Risalah Gusti.

Newspaper of Abadi. Jakarta: 18 November 1998.

Newspaper of Bangkit. Jakarta: 18 November 1998.

Newspaper of Berita Buana. Jakarta: 13 November 1998.

Newspaper of Dinamika. Jakarta: 16 November 1998.

Newspaper of Kompas. Jakarta: 18 February 1999.

Newspaper of Media Indonesia. Jakarta: 9 November 1998.

Newspaper of Pelita. Jakarta: 17 February 1999.

Sadli, Saparinah. (1995). “Pengantar tentang Kajian Wanita” in T.O. Ihromi [ed]. Kajian Wanita dalam Pembangunan. Jakarta: Yayasan Obor Indonesia, pp.14-23.

Siradj, Said Aqiel. (1998). “Presiden Wanita” in Media Indonesia. Jakarta: 9 November.

Suyanto, Isbordroini. (1995). “Peranan Sosialisasi Politik Terhadap Partisipasi Politik Perempuan” in T.O. Ihromi [ed]. Kajian Wanita dalam Pembangunan. Jakarta: Yayasan Obor Indonesia, pp.491-495.

Umar, Nasaruddin. (1996). “Perspective Gender in Al-Quran”. Unpublished M.A. Thesis. Jakarta: IAIN Syarif Hidayatullah.

Wierinka, S. (1995). “The Politization Gender Relations in Indonesia”. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation. Amsterdam, Netherland: University of Amsterdam.