The Role of Religious Organization for Muslim Women Empowerment

Abstract

Fatayat NU is a women's organization under the auspice of Nahdatul ‘Ulama (NU), the largest traditionalist Muslim organization in Indonesia and in the world. This organization is engaged with issues concerning of, and for women members of the organization, promoting equal chance of education and position of women in society. Fatayat NU has its branches across local regions of the country, especially where NU is the majority. This paper aims at studying the role of Fatayat NU for women's development in the field of social religious sectors, especially in local regions. It especially take the local Fatayat NU in Tanggamus, Lampung, as the case study. This research uses a qualitative method, using observation, interview and documentation as its main tools for obtaining the research data. The data are then analyzed qualitatively in three cycles: data reduction, data display and data verification, all of which are done continuously throughout the research process. The findings of this study indicate the activities executed by the Fatayat NU Tanggamus are able to encourage Muslim women members of the organization to make significant changes; these range from their understanding of religious knowledge to the improvement of the quality of their social mobility.