52 islam, politics and change
pluralism, the pks shows a tolerant attitude towards other religions, while
in relation to internal pluralism it also shows tolerance towards other
Muslim groups as long as there is no question of doctrinal heresy or
political interests. There are two cases worth special attention. Firstly,
the Ahmadiyah controversy that sparked deadly violence against the
members of a minority group. In this case, pks politicians urged the
government authorities to act firmly to prevent any violent acts, yet at
the same time they also urged the government to disqualify Ahmadiyah
as an Islamic group. A study by Bastiaan Scherpen in this volume
maps the political attitudes of Indonesian Islamic social and political
organisations on the issue of Ahmadiyah, and the pks shows a harsh
and conservative attitude. The pks also reportedly expelled a member
who converted to Shiʿism and took care of his wife who decided to
divorce him following his decision.⁵¹ Secondly, the jt-pks also shows
a changing attitude towards other Islamic organisations. In the past,
it has aggressively recruited and mobilised members of other Islamic
organisations, as well as infiltrated and taken over religious forums and
mosques belonging to other organisations. Research by Syaifuddin Zuhri
reveals a sensitive example of how the party took over Muhammadiyah’s
mosque in Yogyakarta, taking advantage of an earthquake disaster.⁵²
However, after major organisations such as the Muhammadiyah and
nu reacted officially by issuing statements and policies criticising the
pks, the party responded by issuing clarifications and instructions to
its members to maintain harmony and brotherhood with other Islamic
organisations.⁵³
3.2.3Gender Equality
Gender equality is an extremely sensitive issue in the jt-pks, and they
treat it cautiously. Basically, the pks upholds a rather misogynist idea
of gender, which believes that men are superior to women. The party’s
Sharia Council issued a statement on the participation of women in
politics, specifying that men and women have a different set of obligations
and rights, and women’s participation in political life is allowed as long
as it is deemed appropriate. Interestingly, the statement specifically listed
inappropriate conduct that women in politics should avoid, such as
dressing too smartly, wearing too much perfume and speaking in a
Arief Munandar, ‘Antara Jamaah dan Partai Politik’, 217.
See Syaifuddin Zuhri’s contribution to this volume.
Triono Wahyu Sudibyo, ‘Kampanye di Semarang, Hidayat Klarifikasi pks Anti
Maulid’, 28 March 2009, http://news.detik.com/read/2009/03/28/175913/1106503/
700/kampanye-di-semarang-hidayat-klarifikasi-pks-anti-maulid?nd992203605.