Founded on the 1st of March 2007, The Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN) in Indonesia has been working on conflict transformation by strengthening the role of women. The Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN) Indonesia, has been a pioneer of peace education for women at the grassroots, organizing communities through women’s groups and conducting national and international advocacy related to Women, Peace and Security.
Here are several programs from AMAN related to the role of women in preventing violent extremism:
1. Women’s School for Peace
There are already several types of women schools in Indonesia. However not many have incorporated a peace perspective in their learning curriculum. AMAN Indonesia believes that the wealth of women’s experience and intelligence in domestic space is the basic capital for women to be involved in the peace-building process.
2. The Girl Ambassadors for Peace (GA4P)
It is a program conducted in collaboration with the Global Network on Women Peacebuilders (GNWP), that mobilizes women and adolescent girls who live in conflict-affected environments to become leaders and peacebuilders. The GA4P are aged 15 to 25 years old who have high school or college education – are trained intensively on peacebuilding, preventing violent extremism, media and ICT, and international and national laws on women’s rights, gender equality and peacebuilding.
3. Advocacy on Peace Oriented and Gender-Based Policy
Advocacy on peace-oriented and gender-based policy is a strategy to reduce or resolve cases of sexual violence and gender or religion based violence. The advocacy model developed is based on providing data / information, organizing civil society to strengthen critical power and encouraging the emergence of policies or strategic decisions to strengthen peace and protection of women and minorities from all forms of violence.
3. Progressive Islamic Interpretation
In an effort to combat oppression, discrimination and marginalization of women or minorities based on religious beliefs and sexual orientations, as well as to glorification the inclusive and progressive Islam or washatiyah (middle ground) insights about Islam among the most conservative and fundamentalist Muslim communities, we need a reinterpretation on values, understanding and religious practice based on new framing and the “progressive” perspective in interpret of Quran and Hadits texts.
4. Young Women Writers
Unfortunately, there are few or even almost not enough Islamic websites that talk about women with a fair gender perspective. In many Islamic websites often discuss the religious issues that are gender-biased, women are placed as second-class human beings. Many religious fatwas are not defended women, such as in marriage laws, polygamy, what women have to wear and so on. Therefore we need a website that has a progressive Islamic view and gender equality to provide a more female-friendly narrative on websites and social media. AMAN Indonesia is working with Fahmina to form a website called mubaadalah.com.