Indonesia's patriarchism plays big role in spreading radical ideas among women
Worse, cruel acts by women considered a form of obedience to their husbands.
JAKARTA: Patriarchism in Indonesia has played a big role in the spread of radical ideas among women, it has been reported.
Head of the Intelligence Analysis Section of the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), Leebarty Taskarina, said this was in accordance with the findings of her study, Antara reported.
The study noted that of the 20 women who were perpetrators of terrorism, invitations from family, especially partners/husbands and brothers, were one of the biggest causes of women being involved in acts of terror.
"What's worse, the cruel acts committed by women are considered a form of obedience to their husbands. This also indicates that acts of terror carried out by women cannot be separated from the influence of male domination over them," said Leebarty in a statement Friday.
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According to her, the paradigm of Indonesian society in general still tends to limit women's opportunities to develop themselves so that they are seen as an opportunity by terror networks.
Radical groups and their networks, she continued, seemed to provide an opportunity for women to be equal to men and be at the forefront of religious struggle, thus providing a special attraction for women.
"Therefore, women's agency and semi-autonomy in terrorist activities is actually based on previous experiences of oppression, victimisation, manipulation and mystification which are all rooted in patriarchal culture," Antara quoted her as saying.
Leebary emphasised the importance of more comprehensive education so that Indonesian women understand that “jihad” should not be defined simply without the context of space, time and goals.
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On the other hand, it is important to instill an understanding that terrorism is not in the same breath as the meaning of jihad, and can even be realised in positive and simple ways in women's everyday lives.
She said that BNPT was present to help determine the direction of national policy which would result in a reduction in the number of women involved in terror movements by approaching it from various aspects, starting from ideology, psychosocial, economic and regulatory.
Regarding the regulatory aspect, she underlined that BNPT immediately formulates policies that reach the typical experiences of women and does not generalise prevention or treatment policies by ignoring the gender aspects.
"Stop spreading misogynism (hatred of women) in the media because this actually promotes hatred towards women who are trapped in radicalism,” she said.
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“We must prepare an environment that supports women to develop their careers and lives without one-sided judgment. With a mature level of education, in the end women will have resistance to the high level of the radicalisation process and can contribute to building a more tolerant and peaceful Indonesia.”