Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

Department of Musicology
Jenniffer Sosa Molina
Response Paper
Topic: Women in Islam

In the first chapter of the book “Women, the recited Qur’an, and Islamic
music in Indonesia”, Rasmussen give us a general overview about the the
convergence between different cultures, Asia and the Arab world. As most
religions Islam is dominated by men, and especially in Middle Eastern
countries women are completely vetoed in active participation in Islam. In
Indonesia, one of the countries with the highest numbers of Muslims, women
have a very important participation in religious activities such as recitation of
the Qu'ran.

The conquest of Islam in countries with a totally different cultural landscape is

a sign of its political power. At the same time this mixture of cultures allows
for new interpretations of this religion and whether it could be called a new
and enriched culture.

Because of these “different"; conditions, Indonesia has been the subject of

different discussions about Islam. Some scholars including Rasmussen claim
that the participation of women as protagonists in public life is closer to an
original version of Islam. The Qu'ran has been transmitted by means of oral
tradition and presents in its texts incongruities what has generated different
forms of interpreting this text. Therefore, as an interpretation, the Qur'an can
be subject to many subjectivities, provoking interpretations that favor them. In
this case the codification of this text was done only by men favoring their
perspectives, beliefs and policies.

In conclusion, the main role of Indonesian women in Islam is a sign that

traditions can have other interpretations and that a religious system
dominated and interpreted by men can break down and position women as
leaders of public religious, cultural, political life, in this case Islam.