Equal in Faith: Rediscovering Womanhood in Islam

Ramadan 2024 marked two major milestones for me: joining the largest book club I've ever been a part of and sharing a book that helped me redefine what it means to be both a feminist and a Muslim. While I may come across as an extrovert, I'm actually easily drained and overstimulated by social interactions.

So, I naturally gravitate towards the corner of any room, often doomscrolling or, on better days, quietly tapping through pages on my Kindle. For most of my life, reading has been my personal retreat and favorite escape. Although I've attended a few book clubs before, usually in Australia with mostly senior women whom I'd mostly listen to, TSBC was my first offline book club experience in Indonesia.

I finally joined them for the first time in March, having missed all the February meeting due to a delayed flight. At TSBC, I shared Nalar Kritis Muslimah by Nur Rofiah, a book I had just finished. Growing up, I've always had questions about my identity and the traditional image of a Muslim woman I'd often heard about: obedient, modest, and submissive. For years, I felt a sense of drift, as if I didn't fully align with these expectations.

Nalar Kritis Muslimah represents a turning point in my journey toward understanding that feminism and Islam are not mutually exclusive. Written by a Muslim academic and educator, it intertwines scientific research with Quranic and Hadith references to assert that women are not second-class citizens in Islam but are equal partners with men.

What I love about this book is how it contextualizes women's roles across real-life social issues like marriage, education, and domestic abuse, emphasizing that Islam's true stance on these issues prioritizes women's well-being. Firstly, it argues that the five biological experiences unique to women—menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum recovery, and breastfeeding—should not be made more painful but should be supported. Secondly, it underscores that Islam does not condone or cause women to endure stigmatization, marginalization, subordination, violence, or double burdens, especially not solely based on gender.

I've often felt uneasy discussing my views as both a feminist and a Muslim woman, but seeing this book voted as a club favorite reassured me that I'm in the right place.