Mr Andi Alfian

Andi Alfian is a masters student at the Center for Religious and Cross-Cultural Studies (CRCS) at Gadjah Mada University. His research interests are religion and gender, interfaith dialogue, religion and public life, and indigenous religion.

Countering Social Stigma as the Basis of the Interfaith Movement: A Case Study of Cadar Garis Lucu

One of the weaknesses of interfaith dialogue in Indonesia is a lack of participation by, and space for, women’s voices, with almost all spaces for interfaith dialogue dominated by men. I argue that more women should be involved in interfaith dialogue, not only because women are the most affected when religious conflicts occur but also because many previous studies, show that women are more effective in peacebuilding based on non-violence. This study will discuss an interfaith movement, Cadar Garis Lucu, which veiled/niqab women initiated to counter the common assumption that veiled/niqab women are radical-extremist, anti-other religions, and so on. Besides being active in promoting peace and interfaith dialogue, Cadar Garis Lucu also promotes a discourse of gender equality. Using an in-depth interview method, this study finds that Cadar Garis Lucu is an interfaith movement that aims to counter negative attitudes towards women, not only against veiled/niqab women but against women in general, and seeks to support women to participate in interfaith dialogue. Furthermore, this study argues that there is no better way of peacebuilding than to give more space for women in interfaith dialogue.