The issue of village development through Law on Village that had been planned by the government aimed to achieve the equal distribution of welfare. The spirit of this Law was based on the unique potentialities that owned by every region.
In the modern era, women have the significant role in developing the villages. Nowadays, the works of Indonesian women had penetrated a broader areas, and not merely in the domestic sphere. Several strategic positions in the public spaces had been able to be filled by women, including the strategic position as decision makers.
In Indonesia, the shifting of the division of labor roles between men and women in the family happen when a woman take the significant roles in the society as well as in the nation. Women are not only led, but also able to lead in the various institutions at all level. Since from the President, Rectors, Regent, Head of District, Head of Village, and also the Head of the Neighborhood. This phenomena shows that the capacity owned by women are not inferior to men. This situation also show that the division of roles in term of domestic and public for women and men are not suitable or relevant anymore to implement in the society. It is easy for us today to meet women who has the important position in the public spaces.
The pattern of domestic and public actually had been broken by the ideology of production that follow the understanding of functional structuralism. This view also said that the division between the domestic and public are opposite to the ideology of production. Based on the ideology of production, women also do the production. In the explanation of the sociological theory, Parsons said that although the indicators which is used to value the status of men and women were different, but actually women’s status are equal with the men status. The pattern of marriage in the eyes of Parsons, was a relationship between two equal parties (Saptari and Holzner 2997: 64-67).
The presence of women in the strategic positions gave the authority for women to make the policies that can contribute significantly in the struggle for justice. The idea of village development by involving women and sensitive to the needs of women and children was stated clearly in the Law No.6 Year 2014 on article 7 number 3. The village structuring means to speed up the improvement of welfare of the society of the village, including women. Women has the unique experience that are different with men because of their biological structures. This experiences of course need the suitable policies. And women participation is significant to create the friendly, sensitive, and suitable policies to women’s needs.
The Positive Respond of the Quran for the Active Women
Islam encourage its followers to be active in the good deeds and prevent themselves from laziness. Allah said clearly about human being as His caliphate or mandate holder on the earth for the sake of their prosperity and to fulfill their life through productive works. According to Quraish Shihab, all human being –men and women- are created by Allah with all their physical, thoughts, heart power as well as their spirit of life to do their working activity as part of their good deeds (Quraish Shihab, 2013). In the historical trajectory, the shahabiyat (the women companions of the Prophet) and tabi’iyat (the women followers of the Prophet) become the frontliners of the good deeds. Let us mention the name of Aisha and Hafsha, both of them were actively narrated the hadiths and taught them. Khadija was a business woman, Rufaida was a nurse in the early age of Islam, Sayyida Nafisa was the grand teacher or Master of the Imams, Zubaida the wife of Harun al-Rasyid who donated her treasure, physical power, and thoughts to contribute for the sea water distillation to solve the water crisis problem for the pilgrims of Hajj.
The Quran also mentioned several women who were actively in several working areas, for example: First, the two daughters of Prophet Syuaib who become breeders who never feel tired in goat herding with all of responsibilities and competed with so many male breeders (QS. Al Qashas: 23). Second, The Queen of Balqis, a woman leader of the Sheba Kingdom which was well-known for her just so that she can bring the welfare for the people in her country (QS. An Naml: 23).Third, women who worked in the service sector, such as the mother of Prophet Musa, and Halimah as Sa’diyah a woman who breastfeed Prophet Muhammad PBUH (QS. Al Baqarah: 233).
Reflecting from the historical moments that had been written in the Quran, actually it had showed the women participation to work in the public areas. In addition to that, woman can play their significant role in developing their village through their active participation inside. This is not authomatically reduce the honour of a woman because she has to perform in front of the public. No doubt related to their rights and responsibilities, that women are creature that had been recognized by Allah, as mentioned in QS. An Nisa’: 7.
. The handicaps that come based on the different interpretation and religious understanding that tacking women’s steps to participate in the public arenas, actually should have been answered. The Quran stated clearly did not discriminate women and men to play their significant role in public arenas for doing the good deeds. Men and women will achieve a better life situation and rewarded equally as mentioned in QS. An Nahl: 97, QS. An Nisa: 124. Men and women are in the equal position as the servant of Allah (QS. Adz Dzariyat: 56), men and women as the Caliphate or representation of God on the earth (QS. Al-An’am: 165), men and women as the receivers of primordial agreement (QS. Al A’raf : 172), men and women are created to know each other (QS. Al Hujurat: 13). Women participation in the village development in term of building the equal relationship are merely to overcome the inequalities, in order everybody will live peacefully, in serenity and welfare.
All kind of hazards, opressions and violence against women were heavily criticized by the Quran through the exclamation of QS. An Nisa: 19, QS.Al Baqarah: 236, and QS Ath-Thalaq: 6. Those verses became the ideological propositions that can be taken as the reference to participate in the village development that aimed to create welfare, comfort, and protection for women. Nowadays, there are so many violence against women cases that can be found in several villages in Indonesia. Such as wife’s mortgage done by her husband to pay off the debt, mutilation of the wife, domestic violence cases, etc. If all citizens in Indonesia can help each other to create the gender justice for men and women, no doubt that there will be a development and welfare in this country.
Women participation is very important and significant to develop the village, because most of the village citizens are women and children. The rural areas geographically is different with the rural areas. The feeling of cooperation and firmly upholding customs, religious values, and culture become the specific characteristic of village citizens. The homogeneus environment that make the villagers difficult to adapt the change, are reasonable for women villagers prefer to work in the domestic sphere. So that, the strengthening women education for women in the village, since from the young age up to the adult productive women become a necessary. Because through education, it can open the insight of women in competing for eradication of poverty as well as to raise the awareness about the inequality and to solve the problem that are faced by village citizens.
The government policies which give the big amount of village funds, actually should involve women in the program planning and its implementation. Women can become partners in the controlling and utilization of the funds, in order the program that had been planned will be suitable with the needs of all people and to realize the public welfare. As encouraged in QS. Al Hujurat: 13.
It means: “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that yemay know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).”
The word “lita’arafuu” or that means “to know each other” can be interpreted by with her activity, the women who had been actively play her role in the public space, she will know many things related to her participation in the village development. So that she should know well all people who participate both men and women, understanding the program that can bring the welfare for her people, to anticipate the oppression, injustices and to empower women and children in the education and economic areas. All of them started from the word “lita’arafuu” (to know well).
The word “lita’arafuu” means achieving something through deep thinking and reflection as the reason or impact of the both activities. Someone will know the existence of Allah and it will not come suddenly, but it should started from thinking process and it doesn’t mean we will know the substance. In the sociological context, lita’arafuu means to know each other and its function was lil musyarakah baina al-istnaini fa aktsara (to explain about a reciprocal action between two persons or more) (Nadirsyah Hosen, Tafsir Al Hujurat: 13). While in the Tafsir Jalalain, the meaning of lita’arafuu can be interpreted as to know each other, not for the sake of taking pride, but really to understand other people on the basic of Taqwa (obedience to God). Al Hujurat: 13 is a verse which spirit to eliminate discrimination and power relation in the name of everything.
The ‘knowing” process is the first step, then it will be followed by a closer interaction between two parties, in order to grow the sympathy and even emphaty. This stage described a process namely to know, to understand up to build emphaty. When women know about this world and understand their needs, in which they involved in the decision making process and social works, women will utilize their unique experience as the basis and to build ability to grow their emphaty to their peers.
Closing
The active role of the society, both men and women in the village development is an absolute requirement. Public, especially women can fully participate in the village development with no doubt and worry about the mysoginic interpretation of the religion; because through the Quran it was stated active women figures who work hard and play significant role in the service sector, leadership, farming, and etc. The Quran also encouraged all human being, both men and women to be actively taking role in doing the good deeds and become the Caliphate or representation of God on the earth. Furthermore, the hadith and historical lines had told many things abouth the shahabiyat (the women as companions of the Prophet), tabi’iyat (the followers of the Prophet), who were very active in social works. So, this should become the ideological and theological basis for women in their participation in the village development. {}
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