In 2003 AWRC published an edition of In God’s Image (Vol. 22, No. 3) focused on Indonesia.  It was a good opportunity to break the culture of silence among Christian women in Indonesia.  As  the theme, Breaking the Silence, puts it, it was really a breakthrough  as well as a challenge for us to share our struggles and analyse them from a feminist perspective.

Six (6) years have passed since that edition was published.  After six years, we are once again putting together this September edition with focus on Indonesia.  It is  a good  time to see how far we have gone in this movement; how far the Indonesian women have gone in their journey for freedom and equality. So it was with both excitement and anxiety that we agreed to put together this Indonesian edition. 

We were excited because after six (6) years, we expected some results and achievements from the different programs on women’s issues, both on theological and non-theological areas.  Our excitement was confirmed by the various articles we received for this edition. But we were also anxious because we were quite aware  that millions of women who live in quite remote areas have not been reached by development in general and women’s empowerment program in particular, and for whom feminism or feminist movement is a complete stranger.

This September edition is a compilation of articles that reflect both hopes and fears, achievements and failures,  as well as personal struggles of women in Indonesia. We collected the articles from AWRC’s members and friends in Indonesia. We are aware that the struggle for  complete human liberation cannot be achieved by working alone. We need to work and network with different actors and agents who have the same concerns and commitment for human liberation,  regardless of their religious beliefs. Thus we share one article from a Moslem feminist in this edition.

This edition includes  a  Bible study, feminist reflection and analysis on the history of women’s leadership in the church, feminist critique of a local culture in Indonesia, a critical reflection on the role of women in post-tsunami projects. 

Nunuk’s article invites us to find Dinah’s story in our present day life and how we should deal with the issue. 

Iswanti writes her feminist reflection and analysis about women’s movement by tracing back the Indonesian Catholic women pioneers from Mendut. 

The issue of women’s leadership or feminist leadership in religious institutions is discussed by Tabita (from  a Protestant perspective) and Ciciek (from  a Moslem perspective).  

From the land of Sumatra, Paulina Sirait shares her reflection and reinterpretation of Batak culture. Batak is one of the dominant ethnic groups in Indonesia.  

In the wake of climate changes and natural disaster, women have important roles to re-build the community. We can learn this from Anna Marsiana’s article about women in post-tsunami projects in Nias and Aceh. 

A book review by Iswanti on a series of books from various religions highlights  the responses of various religions to the cry for justice of women victims of violence. This book is published by the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan).         

For this edition, we faced the same practical problem of collecting papers and translating them into English just like we had for the September 2003 edition.  But with great support from many friends, and great patience and understanding from our editor, we could finally make it.  So we want to say a hearty “thank you” to all the contributors and translators; and to our editor, Hope. 

Last but not least, this edition is also to mark the move of the AWRC office from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Yogyakarta, Indonesia. We affirm and emphasize that AWRC is not an exclusive organization;  that we can not work alone to achieve the vision for human liberation. And finally, with the opening of the new office here in Indonesia, AWRC is ready to network and work with her sisters (and also brothers) in Indonesia for  women’s and total human liberation.

Anna & Iswanti
Guest Editors

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As the AWRC office was in the process of moving to Indonesia last June, the outgoing and incoming staff decided to have this September edition of In God’s Image focus on Indonesian women.  It was clearly a short notice.  But it was the feeling of the outgoing and incoming staff that an edition on Indonesian women was a good way to welcome AWRC to Indonesia and to introduce Indonesia to AWRC network and readers of IGI.  

Producing this edition has not been easy.  The office move already entailed the tedious process of packing, moving, unpacking and settling in.  But as the articles would show, members and friends of AWRC in Indonesia came to help – not only from the usual Christian circle but also from the wider society, from other religions.  And so we have this wonderful edition – that carries multiple voices of women from various parts of Indonesian society.  We are indeed grateful to our Indonesian sisters and to the new staff of AWRC led by our new coordinator, Anna Marsiana, for their will and determination, hard work and perseverance, to put this edition together.