SIRI 1 : SISTERS IN ISLAM

Siapakah Sisters In Islam ?


Sisters In Islam (SIS) ditubuhkan pada tahun 1990, apabila Dr Amina Wadud dan sekumpulan wanita yang sealiran dengannya yang merasakan wanita Islam tidak mendapat keadilan dari segi hukum Islam, bersepakat untuk menubuhkan sebuah NGO bagi memperjuangkan hak yang didakwa mereka. Zainah Anwar menjadi Pengasas dan ketua SIS. Tujuan menubuhkan SIS diterangkan oleh Zainah:
``We are fighting for justice, (for) an Islam that is just, an Islam that upholds the principles of
justice, equality, freedom and dignity of the human being, be it man or woman. But certainly,
given the experience that we've gone through, our focus is on the rights of Muslim women.``

Keadaan ini berlaku semasa Amina Wadud menjadi pensyarah di UIAM beliau meyusupkan
idea dan fahamnya kepada sekumpulan wanita yang sealiran dengannya. Contoh hak
berpoligami bagi lelaki dan suami berhak memukul isteri yang nusyuz.


Mereka mendakwa sebagai kelas dua dan dinafikan hak. Kumpulan wanita yang tidak puas
hati merasa bertuah mendapat seorang mentor yang berjiwa sealiran dengan mereka. Ini
terbukti dari ungkapan berikut:
``We were very lucky that we had (Muslim theologian and scholar) Dr Amina Wadud, who
had arrived to teach the Quran in UIA (International Islamic University). She was teaching
the Quran and she had done her PhD thesis on woman and the Quran. And so she helped
us to go through the Qur`an, to go through the words, grammar, vocabulary, world view, the
Qur`anic world view. So she helped us develop this methodology and it was a great
engagement because she's a scholar. But we bring our activist background.`` (The Sun
Weekend, July 17-18, 2004: 10).


Ungkapan di atas adalah dari Zainah Anwar yang dari pengenalan dan pengajian beliau
bersama kumpulan wanita tersebut.
Laman web SIS pula menerangkan aktiviti mereka sebagai:
“Sisters in Islam is at the forefront of the women's movement which seeks to end discrimination against women in the name of religion. The group's activities in research, advocacy and public education help to promote the development of Islam that upholds the principles of equality, justice, freedom and dignity within a democratic state.
The group writes letters to the editor, issues press statements and submits memorandum to
the Malaysian government to influence laws and policies and the debate within Islam on
issues such as equality, dress and modesty, polygamy, domestic violence, right to guardianship, women as judges, Islamic Family Law and justice for women, Shari’ah Criminal Law and fundamental liberties, and apostasy and freedom of religion.”


Di tengah-tengah kedahagaan mereka berhubung dengan maklumat keislaman, mereka
bertemu dengan watak yang lebih banyak mempersoalkan Islam dari mematuhi Islam.