Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Message from Madam President
Am sure we all have read the recounts of B2S by SK Wardah and SK Mum. The programme we organised for the adik-adik was well received. There was one BIG complaint; " not enough professions ". There was no banking, accountancy, law, doctor, dentist etc etc. We were requested to come again before the Puasa. We hope there would be more SKs who could come to the Career Guidance Session.
The Pengetua, SK Junaidi shared with us her wish to create a Gallery Srikandi. It is at the area immediatelly behind the main steps to the office. She envisage that a couple of corriders would be constructed along which cupboards to house all the trophies won by STF, and a miniature garden !
She is requesting, and we think it is a very good idea, that each batch of the Srikandis sponsor an item or many items. These items would then be marked as " sponsored by Srikandi 1972", as an example. This means that SK72 has sponsored this particular item. It could be a chair, the cupboard, the clock etc etc.
Girls, what do you think?
On another note, the Kementerian give points on how strong is the relationship between the Alumni and the school. STF is building up profile of the Srikandis. Attached is the form. We would like to request that as many Srikandis to fill up the forms and return it to SK Harsa at harsa.afina@ gmail.com, soonest possible.
kind regards
SK72 Mek Yam Jusoh.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
ORANG IKHLAS ITU TERTINDAS?
Jika kita memberi kebaikan kepada seseorang, kebaikan itu akan dibalas walaupun yang membalasnya bukan orang yang kita berikan kebaikan itu. Hakikat ini mengingatkan saya kepada satu perbualan yang berlaku sewaktu saya mengendalikan program latihan beberapa tahun lalu di sebuah organisasi.
“Saya tidak mempunyai apa-apa harapan lagi pada organisasi ini,” kata seorang kakak berterus-terang.
“Mengapa?” balas saya.
“Organisasi ini dipenuhi oleh kaki bodek dan kaki ampu. Saya terseksa bekerja secara ikhlas di sini. Tidak pernah dihargai, tidak ada ganjaran yang wajar. Saya bukannya orang yang bermuka-muka. Tak pandai saya nak ampu-ampu orang atas, Fokus saya kepada kerja sahaja.”
Kakak itu sebenarnya adalah peserta program yang paling senior. Telah berpuluh tahun bekerja dalam organisasi tersebut. Itu adalah kali terakhir dia mengikuti program latihan. Enam bulan lagi dia akan bersara. Kesempatan yang diberikan kepadanya dalam sesi memperkenalkan diri itu telah digunakannya sepenuhnya untuk meluahkan rasa kecewa dan marahnya sepanjang berkhidmat di situ. Sungguh, dia kecewa sekali. Siapa tidak marah, jika bekerja secara ikhlas dan gigih tetapi tidak pernah dinaikkan pangkat atau mendapat kenaikan gaji?
Sewaktu rehat, sambil minum-minum dan berbual santai saya bertanya kepadanya, “kakak punya berapa orang anak?”
Sengaja saya bertanya soal-soal “di luar kotak” agar ketegangan dalam sesi sebelumnya dapat diredakan.
“Oh ramai encik…”
“Bagaimana dengan anak-anak kakak?”
Wah, saya lihat dia begitu ceria apabila mula menceritakan tentang anak-anaknya. Boleh dikatakan semua anak-anaknya berjaya dalam profesion masing-masing. Ada yang menjadi doktor, jurutera, pensyarah dan sebagainya. Malah seorang anaknya telah menjadi hafiz.
“Kakak, boleh saya bertanya?”
“Tanyalah encik…” ujar kakak itu sambil tersenyum. Mendung di wajahnya sudah berlalu. Dia begitu teruja bila bercerita tentang anak-anaknya. Memang, semua anak-anaknya menjadi.
“Jika kakak diberi pilihan, antara anak-anak yang “menjadi” dengan naik gaji, mana yang kakak pilih?”
Belum sempat dia menjawab, saya bertanya lagi, “antara kakak naik pangkat dengan anak-anak berjaya dalam karier mereka, mana yang kakak pilih?”
Dengan cepat kakak itu menjawab, “hati ibu encik… tentulah saya pilih anak-anak saya menjadi walaupun tidak naik gaji atau dapat pangkat. Anak-anak adalah harta kita yang paling berharga!”
Saya tersenyum. Hati ibu, begitulah semestinya.
“Kakak, sebenarnya keikhlasan dan kegigihan kakak bekerja dalam organisasi ini telah mendapat ganjaran…” kata saya perlahan. Hampir berbisik.
“Maksud encik?”
“Allah telah membalas dengan ganjaran yang lebih baik dan lebih kakak lebih sukai. Bila kakak ikhlas bekerja dalam organisasi ini, Allah berikan kepada kakak anak-anak yang menjadi.”
“Tidak pernah saya terfikir begitu encik…”
“Allah Maha Berkuasa. Ada kalanya takdir dan perbuatan-Nya terlalu misteri dan rahsia untuk dijangkau oleh pemikiran kita. Tetapi yakinlah what you give, you get back. Itu hukum sunatullah dalam hubungan sesama manusia. Kebaikan yang kita buat akan kembali kepada kita. Yakinlah.”
“Walaupun bukan daripada seseorang atau sesuatu pihak yang kita berikan kebaikan itu?”
“Maksud kakak?”
“Macam ni, saya buat kebaikan kepada organisasi tempat saya bekerja, tapi Allah berikan kebaikan kepada keluarga. Pembalasan Allah bukan di tempat saya bekerja, sebaliknya diberikan dalam keluarga saya. Begitukah encik?”
“Itulah yang saya katakan tadi, takdir Allah kekadang terlalu misteri. Tetapi ketetapannya mutlak dan muktamad, siapa yang memberi kebaikan akan dibalas dengan kebaikan. Dalam istilah biasa itu dipanggil golden rule!”
Kakak itu termenung. Mungkin memikirkan pertalian dan kaitan antara apa yang berlaku dalam organisasi dengan familinya.
“Metafora atau analoginya begini. Katalah kita sedang memandu di satu jalan yang mempunyai dua atau tiga lorong. Penuh sesak. Tiba-tiba sebuah kereta yang tersalah lorong di sebelah memberi isyarat untuk masuk ke lorong kita. Kerana simpati melihat dia terkial-kial memberi isyarat, kita pun beralah, lalu memberi laluan untuk kereta itu masuk di hadapan kita…”
Saya berhenti seketika mengambil nafas sambil mencari reaksi. Saya lihat kakak itu mendengar penuh minat. Dia meneliti metafora yang saya sampaikan dengan begitu teliti.
“Kemudian kita terus memandu ke hadapan. Mungkin sejam kemudian atau setelah berpuluh-puluh kilometer, tiba-tiba kita pula yang tersalah lorong. Kita pula yang memberi lampu isyarat untuk masuk ke lorong sebelah. Soalnya logikkah kalau kita mengharapkan kereta yang kita bantu sebelumnya memberi laluan untuk kita?”
Kakak itu tersenyum dan berkata, “tak logik encik. Kereta yang kita bantu tadi entah ke mana perginya.”
“Tapi ada tak kereta lain yang simpati dan memberi laluan untuk kita?’
“Pasti ada! Insya-Allah.”
“Ya, begitulah. Padahal kereta itu tidak pernah sekali pun kita tolong. Tetapi Allahlah yang menggerakkan hati pemandunya untuk memberi laluan kepada kita. Orang yang kita beri kebaikan, tidak ada di situ untuk membalas kebaikan kita… Tetapi Allah menggerakkan hati orang lain, yang tidak pernah merasa kebaikan kita untuk membalas kebaikan kita tadi.”
“Subhanallah!”
“Begitu dalam litar di jalan raya dan begitu jualah litar dalam kehidupan manusia. Kita buat baik kepada A, tetapi kerap kali bukan A yang membalas kebaikan kita tetapi B atau C atau D atau lain-lainnya yang membalasnya. Inilah hakikat yang berlaku dalam kehidupan ini.”
“Kita tidak boleh kecewa bila keikhlasan kita dipersiakan?” tanya kakak itu lagi. Lebih kepada satu respons minta diiyakan.
“Kakak, ikhlas sebenar tidak pinta dibalas. Tetapi Allah Maha Kaya dan Maha Pengasih, siapa yang ikhlas akan diberi ganjaran walaupun mereka tidak memintanya kerana setiap kebaikan itu akan dikembalikan kepada orang yang melakukannya. Ia umpama bola yang dibaling ke dinding, akan melantun semula kepada pembalingnya!”
“Selalunya saya dengar, orang ikhlas akan dibalas di akhirat.”
“Itulah balasan yang lebih baik dan kekal. Tetapi saya katakan tadi, Allah Maha kaya, Allah mahu dan mampu membalas keikhlasan hamba-Nya di dunia lagi.”
“Maksud encik?”
“Orang yang ikhlas akan diberi ketenangan dan kebahagiaan dalam hidup. Anak-anak yang soleh dan solehah. Isteri yang taat atau suami yang setia. Dan paling penting… hati yang sejahtera. Inilah kekayaan dan kelebihan yang lebih utama daripada pangkat, gaji dan jawatan.”
“Jadi orang ikhlas akan terus ditindas, tidak dapat kenaikan pangkat atau gaji? Bukan apa, saya terfikir kenapa nasib kaki ampu dan kaki bodek lebih baik dalam organisasi. Mereka dapat naik pangkat!”
Giliran saya pula tersenyum.
“Tidak ada kebaikan yang akan kita dapat melalui jalan yang salah. Percayalah, kalau benar mereka kaki ampu dan bodek sahaja… pangkat yang mereka dapat akan menyebabkan mereka melarat. Gaji naik, tetapi ketenangan hati menurun. Ingat apa yang saya kata tadi, what you give you get back… Golden rule itu bukan untuk kebaikan sahaja, tetapi untuk kejahatan juga. Kalau kita berikan kejahatan, kejahatan itu akan kembali semula kepada kita. Kaki ampu, mungkin akan dapat anak yang pandai bermuka-muka. Kaki bodek mungkin dibalas dengan isteri yang berpura-pura!” terang saya panjang lebar.
“Jadi apa yang harus saya lakukan dengan baki masa perkhidmatan yang tinggal tidak beberapa bulan lagi ni?”
“Bekerjalah dengan gigih. Walaupun mungkin bos tidak melihatnya, tetapi Allah Maha Melihat. Bekerja itu satu ibadah. God is our “ceo”, kata orang sekarang. Insya-Allah, satu hari nanti manusia juga akan diperlihatkan oleh Allah tentang keikhlasan manusia yang lain. Jangan berhenti memberi kebaikan hanya kerana tidak dapat penghargaan…”
“Maksud encik?”
“Jangan mengharap terima kasih daripada manusia atas kebaikan yang kita buat kepadanya.”
“Kenapa?”
“Kita akan sakit jiwa!”
“Kenapa?”
“Kerana umumnya manusia tidak pandai berterima kasih. Lihatlah, kalau kepada Allah yang Maha Memberi pun manusia tidak pandai bersyukur dan berterima kasih, apalagi kepada manusia yang pemberiannya terbatas dan berkala. Sedikit sekali daripada manusia yang bersyukur,” balas saya mengulangi apa yang maktub dalam Al Quran.
“Tetapi Allah tidak berhenti memberi… “ kata kakak itu perlahan.
“Walaupun manusia tidak berterima kasih kepada-Nya. Sekalipun kepada yang derhaka dan kafir, tetapi Allah terus memberi… Justeru siapa kita yang tergamak berhenti memberi hanya kerana tidak mendapat penghargaan dan ucapan terima kasih?”
“Ah, kita terlalu ego…”
Dan itulah kesimpulan perbualan yang saya kira sangat bermakna dan besar impaknya dalam hidup saya. Saya terasa “diperingatkan” semasa memberi peringatan kerana pada hakikatnya saya juga tidak terlepas daripada lintasan hati oleh satu pertanyaan… orang ikhlas tertindas?
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Roast Turkey......from Ostolia with love...Rafid 72
1. Turkey...sekor
2. Lumuran bawah skin turkey area dada
garlic, rosemary, sage, lemon,
3. Lumuran luar kulit turkey:
kunyit, garam
4. Stuffing:
a. mesh garlic, onion, celery, capsicum, tomato, buah pala,
b. rice/nasi
c. telur
d. 1 whole lemon
5. Roast - iringan: dalam pan
whole onion, whole carrot, whole potato
6. Gravy:
a. lebihan juice turkey yg dalam pan.
b. water, cornflour, garam.
Cara-cara menyediakannya:
A. Seekor turkey - bersih, pat pat dry.
B. Masukkan bahan No. 2 bawah skin turkey bahagian dada.
C. Lumur luar turkey dengan bahan No. 3.
D. Goreng garlic dan masukkan semua bahan stuffing (4) bahagian "a".
E. Tutup api. Then masukkan nasi dan telur. Gaul. Supaya melekat semua bahan.
F. Masukkan "E" tu dalam perut turkey.
G. Lastly, masukkan sebiji lemon - maka tertutuplah opening tu...... Tak nak bagi stuffing tu keluar.
H. Roastlah in hot pan at 180 C for 2 - 3 hrs.
I. Nak tahu masak ke tak, cucuk paha, tengok air keluar ke tak.
J. Letakan No. 5 (bahan iringan) disisi turkey didalam pan.
K. Kuah/gravy.... guna lebihan juice roast turkey + air + cornflour + garam = kacau dalam pan hingga pekat.
..............toinggg...roast turkey dah ready.................
Program Balik Ke Sekolah (B2S) 16-18 April 2010
Salam to all Srikandis,
Just a short note to record our deepest and heartiest gratitude to Pengetua STF, our very own SK Kak Junaidi Santano, for a very warm hospitality extended to us.
I don't know about Kak Junaidi, but after the two-day event, I went home to my house (in Johor), flat, tired and slept until Maghrib. Although tired, I was very happy to witness such a very grand event to honour the PMR and SPM high achievers. I felt so proud to be part of the deserving, bright and intelligent sisters.
OK, let me start from Day 1, Friday evening.
I started off to STF from UTM at around 6.20pm amidst a heavy downpour but managed to reach the school around 7pm. I was greeted by SK Mumtazah and her lovely 5-yr old Soraya who were there earlier (drove from KL). We then convened to Block B (previously was Block A) to meet up with the sisters from batch 72 (form 6), batch Kak Junaidi. Although we have never met before but we cliqued almost instantly. We had dinner and around that time, SK Dalina made her way to the dining hall (now known as Dewan Melati) with her children. Dinner was yummy, because I was really hungry... I must find a photo of the Dewan Melati to show you the new facelift. Imagine this; throw away all the long old wooden tables and the dilapidated chairs.. and in come in pretty rows, medium-sized round table equipped with the round-melamin serving dish containers (I dont know what you call them, but very smart looking). oh the curtains.... lawa..
Second Day: tunggu -- lain email akan cerita lagi.
From Kak Wardah ‘74
Salam to all Srikandis,
Just to add from Kak Wa's experience. The last time I came to STF was sometime in 1986 (could be KD's last year in STF). This time, with a daughter on tow, I drove through the gateway, hearts pumping like mad. What do I expect? Will there be any difference since then? It was raining cats & dogs, maghrib pulak tu, and driving slowly up the hill from Block A (used to be Block B - Tengku Arfah), I stopped the car. Stepped out and kena report kat Warden's office. Warden's office? Waah........macam kaunter pejabat kerajaan. Greeted cheerful by 3 lovely young ladies. Are they students? I tanya nak jumpa Warden. Sayalah Warden, she answered. So young!! I thot Wardens should look like Grand Dames with pointed glasses. Tak lama tu met Kak Wa. Good to see a familiar face with sparkling eyes.
At Dewan Melati, the tables and chairs have changed. Even the high table area has changed. Beautiful pink and cream colored tiles on the floor and the walls. Flowery lime green scalloped curtains. Scalloped white and lime green muslin hanging from the ceiling. At the pedestal wash basin, ada soap dispenser. Kak Wa said, at least they have a working soap dispenser. Outside the dining hall, at every other columns ada functioning pay phones. Tak da pulak yang rosak or vandalised. Although all the covered walkways are still intact exactly the same as before, more and more pedestrian walkways are done up to replace various shortcut areas. You hardly see students walk on grass. All grassy areas are green.
In the dorm, one can see signs of aging but well tended to. Non of the wc's are broken. Non of the shower doors are broken. I just realised that each shower cubicle is so tiny. Imagine 600mm (aproximately 2 feet wide)!! We all must be so tiny then. Now that I am wider, it takes a bit of effort to shampoo my hair. Baru angkat tangan, siku dah langgar dinding. Teringat dulu-dulu, nak book bilik air kena guna towel. I did the same thing. I had a favorite shower cubicle and to avoid other SKs from using it, I cepat-cepat book dengan towel. And then I just laughed at myself. I felt so childish.
Sambung lepas cerita Kak Wa.......
Kak Mum
Pictures:
SK Utara Gathering (17.4.2010)
Perjumpaan Srikandi Utara yang dicadangkan sebelum ini telah selamat dianjurkan pada 17.4.2010. Rasanya dalam 20 orang berjaya dikumpulkan.. dianjurkan di Penang Golf Resort, Kepala Batas…
thanks to kak Orchid ‘81 and kak Rafidah ‘80..
more pictures will be post soon.. hehehe..
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Cara mengubati Sihir
Salam All,
Today I attended klas Dr Fatma.Dia ada beritahu cara mengubati Sihir spt berikut:
1. Ambil 7 helai daun bidara (daun mandi mayat)
2. Tumbuk or giling (dont use blender)
3. Sambil tumbuk daun tersebut baca
a) Al Fatihah - 1x
b) Ayat Kursi - 1x
c) 3 Kul ( Al -Ikhlas ,Al-Falak,An- naas ) – 3x
4. Campur dgn air dan minum 3 sudu only.
5. Yang lebih (remaining air) buat mandi - seeloknya mandi waktu maghrib (sebab ramai syaitan/jin waktu tersebut). Tolong jangan bilas dgn air biasa .(mandi air bidara last i.e you mandi biasa ,sabun,sampu then baru jirus dgn air bidara itu)
6. If sihir sangat teruk ulang 41x, If sihir tak teruk 3x dah cukup.
7. Lepas mandi Baca ayat sihir berikut (baca sambil urut kepala)
a) Surah Yunus ayat 81 -82
(Baca ayat 81-82 - 1x then repeat ayat 81 dr 'Maa jiq tum bihi....... ...( sampai akhir ayat) - 31x
b) Surah Al -A'raaf - ayat 117 -121
(Baca ayat 117-121 - 1x, then repeat ayat 120 & 121 - 31x)
c) Surah Thaahaa - ayat 69
( Baca ayat 69 -1x , then repeat ayat 69 bermula Wala yaflihu..... ( sampai akhir) – 31x
InsyaAllah..
B. Amalan untuk hapus gangguan jin selain 3kul,ayat kursi boleh juga amalkan surah Al-Jin - ayat 1-15 dan Ash-Shaafaat ayat 1-10
TQ
Nik Noriah Nik Daud
Feminism through the lens of Islamists Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa
Feminism through the lens of Islamists Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa
Courtesy of harakahdaily.net/en
The post-modernism discourse on Islamic feminism is an area many Islamists dare not tread. And if they were faced with a challenge in such a discourse, they will then revert to rhetoric.
One of the commonest heard rhetoric from a section of Islamists is that the Qur’an has granted rights to women fifteen centuries ago with vast improvement in comparison to the situation of women in Arabia prior to the advent of Islam. What many Islamists failed to understand, or perhaps conveniently ignored, is the fact that the rights of women in Islam began to decline and revert back to pre-Islamic norms after the death of the Prophet.
While it is true that Islamic feminism is distinct from Western-styled feminism, as much as the shift from Western models of society and government to “Islamic models”, there are still many things in common with the struggle of Western feminists.
Despite the struggle to unshackle from the cultural imperialism marketed by the West, the major struggle seems to be more centered in the house of Islam itself, considering the retrogressive policies of many Muslim countries; Malaysia not excluded.
Islamic Feminism of the twentieth century
It was in the late 19th and early 20th century that the struggle for what is known as feminism started in the Muslim world. And it was from the work of one exceptionally brilliant man that this movement had spread across the Muslim continents and reached the shores of our country. This exceptional man was Muhammad Abduh (right) , who had published the journal al-Manar (The Lighthouse) which propagated Islamic reform before his appointment as Mufti of Egypt in 1899.
Abduh spent his life reinterpreting Islamic laws in light of modern conditions. Through his writing, teaching, preaching and legal opinion, Abduh not only championed the cause of reform in Islamic law, theology and education but also in areas affecting the life and status of Muslim women or what is known as feminism.
Abduh advocated the utilization of reason and consistently maintained that that there was no conflict between religion and reason. Hence the renewal of Islam and Muslim society should be based not simply on Western secular modernization, but could be accomplished through Islamic legal and social change. The distinctive nature of his idea on reform ( Islah ) and renewal ( Tajdid ) was not simply seeking to restore the past i.e. the period of the pious predecessors ( as-salafus salih ); but a reinterpretation and reformulation of the Islamic heritage to respond to the political, cultural and scientific challenge of the West and modern life.
Abduh’s position on polygamy
Recognizing the discrepancy between the true spirit of Islamic reform propounded in the Qur’an and the waywardness of the Muslim society with regard to the rights of Muslim women, Abduh advocated a thorough reformation in educational and legal spheres affecting the Muslim women.
Abduh was very critical of polygamy and its deleterious effect on family life. Polygamy, according to Abduh, was permitted in the Prophet’s time as a concession to the prevailing social conditions. If Qur’anic texts were to be re-examined, then it will be clear that more than one wife was only permissible when equal justice and impartiality were guaranteed. When achieving such a feat is considered a practical impossibility, Abduh concluded that the Qur’anic ideal must be monogamy.
Abduh asserted that the moral point of the Qur’an is the text’s highest and ultimate aim. In Tafsir al-Manar , his view on this issue was clearly illustrated:
“God has made the condition that one keep far from injustice to be the basis for His giving of a law (concerning marriage). This confirms the fact that justice is enjoined as a condition and that duty consists in thriving for it.
Polygamy is like one of those necessities which are permitted to the one to whom it is allowed (only) with the stipulation that he act fairly with trustworthiness and that he is immune from injustice. In view of this restriction, when one now considers what corruption results from polygamy in modern times, then one will know for certain that a people cannot be trained so that their remedy lies in polygamy, since, in a family which a single man has two wives; no beneficial situation and no order prevail.”
The voice of Abduh in the Malay archipelago
Abduh’s struggle for reform in the Muslim world reached a new milestone when his students from the far East, Malaya and Indonesia, established a link with al-Manar. And among the students of Abduh that stood out was a young man by the name of Syed Shaykh al-Hady (left) . Together with other al-Azhar-educated students of Abduh, namely Shaykh Tahir Jalaluddin and Abbas Taha, al-Hady founded the journal al-Imam (The Leader) in 1906, dedicated to reform and renewal.
Throughout his life, al-Hady championed the cause of modernization and reform of his own society. True to the spirit of al-Manar, al-Hady not only condemned taqlid (blind imitation) but upheld the torch of ijtihad (independent reasoning).
Abduh’s argument that religion could never enter into conflict with knowledge, and that reason would necessarily accept the dogmas of religion after testing the proofs of its truth; had a profound effect on al-Hady. He was so impressed by this argument that he wrote a book titled Kitab Agama Islam dan Akal (Islam and Reason) in which he presented Abduh’s ideas in simple terms for the Malay readers.
Alas, perhaps the most important social reform to which al-Hady dedicated his effort was on women’s emancipation and feminism. His views on women were radically different from that of the traditionalists of the time. He argued in defense of women’s education and emancipation, and conveyed the idea that women should be treated as man’s equal. In that sense, al-Hady may be referred as Malaya’s first feminist.
Faridah Hanum: The protagonist of Malay Feminism
In his endeavor to propagate feminism, al-Hady started to write on issues affecting women’s education and position in the home and society. Articles were published in a monthly periodical, al-Ikhwan (The Brethren). But then, it was a novel written by al-Hady that took the Malay community by storm.
Hikayat Faridah Hanum (The Story of Faridah Hanum) was perhaps the first Malay literature that features a woman as its central character. The character of Faridah Hanum was endowed with personality, agency and purpose; not a passive subject that merely reacts to her surroundings. She was portrayed to be a woman of substance, and demanded that she be treated as man’s equal. Faridah Hanum to al-Hady symbolizes an ideal modern progressive Muslim woman capable of exercising her own rational agency and freedom of choice, while remaining true to her religion and moral values.
What al-Hady had brought to surface from his depiction of Faridah Hanum was the monopoly of the discourse of Islamic jurisprudence by the traditionalist ulama’, and the fallacious contention with regard to the subservient attitude of women that were regarded as fundamentally weak and in need of constant protection by men.
Faridah Hanum broke all taboos, stood by her principles and fought against orthodoxy. She exemplifies the embodiment of the rational, progressive and modern Muslim who is capable to retain control of her body and sexuality and at the same time exercising her rational faculty.
Challenges ahead
Despite the story of feminist activism, started by Abduh and subsequently disseminated by his disciples; and the struggle to articulate gender equality and social justice based on the liberating spirit of the Qur’an; patriarchal thinking and practice, bundled with its inequalities and injustices, had intruded into our modern lives and making Islam appears to be patriarchal when in fact the religion had came to eradicate the inequalities and injustices of patriarchy.
The defenders of patriarchy and orthodoxy must be made aware that any efforts to obstruct the implementation of Qur’anic message of equality and justice will only revert and ossify our society back to the pre-Islamic era.
The voice of Islamic feminism must not only be echoed by the modern-day Faridah Hanums, but must also be accompanied, if not spearheaded, by Abduh’s reformist-minded men.
“Women, women, women! You are the Honor of Life, the Guide to Goodness. You’re the magicians who cleverly sow the seed of progress and the splendor of life which men strive for after they have been taught its real meaning (by you).” - Syed Syaikh al-Hady.