Muslim Women’s Rulings: Issuing Fatwas in Indonesia

In this talk, Dr. Nor Ismah explores the pivotal religious and community roles of Muslim women in Java, Indonesia, who assume positions as ulama (scholars) and religious leaders and issue fatwas, Islamic arbitration decisions. Their fatwas incorporate women's perspectives and traditional and progressive Islamic textual interpretations, earning them religious authority comparable to male ulama. Despite gender constraints in areas involving authority over men, women ulama actively challenge male dominance in Islamic scholarship. Dr. Nor Ismah’s work sheds light on the transformative impact of female ulama, illuminating the nuanced dynamics of gender, authority, and knowledge production in contemporary Indonesian Muslim communities at the grassroots and national levels. This talk is a part of the GISC Rabbi Elliott T. Spar “Politics and Culture in the Muslim World” series. Each talk in the series focuses on a different region or country in the Muslim world 5that is under-recognized in U.S. discourse on Islam and Muslims.