The roots of gender bias: misogynist hadiths in pesantrens

Abstract

Women are regarded as “the second class” by some people in pesantrens. This knowledge has rooted in hadiths cited in the books studied and implemented in many pesantrens. To counteract this tendency, it is therefore important to use a feminist approach to review and criticize the books which can also be used to understand and solve the problems of mis-interpretation of religious texts. The misogynist hadiths have been widely circulated and taught in pesantren under the authority of Kyai (male religious clerics) and nyai (female religious cleric) who have the authority to decide which hadiths are allowed to be taught and socialized in religious teachings and sermons. This is because many teachers emphasize the importance of preserving tradition and religious norms disegarding gender bias. Some feminist activists have tried to reform the mindsets of pesantren leaders both male and female by changing the authoritarian model of leadership to a democractic one. To do this, new historical, sociological and anthropological approaches are required to re-interpret and contextualize misogynist hadiths.