MARCH 25 — With reference to the recent news report on the appointment of Jakim’s new director-general (DG), which takes effect on March 21, I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to Datuk Hajah Hakimah Mohd Yusoff.
I personally welcome such news as a pleasant surprise. Being elected as the first woman to lead the Malaysian religious department is an inspirational feat worth commemorating.
However, browsing through the public comments on Facebook since March 18th in response to this celebratory news is upsetting. Some Malaysian netizens (including women) publicly and unapologetically show resentment towards having a female DG for Jakim. Such a negative sentiment was displayed even when the announcement was accompanied by information on Datuk Hajah Hakimah’s qualifications and 30 years of service in relevant fields. If a male Muslim was appointed as Jakim’s DG, are such details even necessary, requested, scrutinised, or questioned?
Many of these Muslim chauvinists and misogynists conveniently quoted some hadiths to support their opinions in their online comments. One of them was that women, unlike men, possess nine desires as opposed to just one intellect. However, this oft-cited hadith has been concluded to be unsupported by any credible evidence in Islam by Pejabat Mufti Wilayah Persekutuan, as published on its official website on February 28th, 2019.
Another notoriously cited hadith was al Bukhari’s "Never will succeed such a nation as makes a woman their ruler”. There have been critical discussions on the validity and application of this hadith. Many of them highlighted the need to consider contextual aspects when interpreting it. The word ‘ruler’ in the hadith likely refers to positions like Imam and chief commanders of the Muslim army. Such prohibitions that are set more out of practical considerations rather than gender-specific competence.
The long-standing perception that women constitute the more emotional gender, and thus, are unfit leaders, was expectedly cited rampantly. If this was true, surely all female-led countries would have responded the worst to the Covid-19 pandemic in the past two years. Instead, we have seen that the opposite has transpired. And can anyone explain certain male politicians on the verge of meltdown in the Malaysian parliament every time there was a heated debate?
Upon further scrutiny of reliable discussions on female leadership in Islam, having a female leader in general religious matters does not go against the al-Quran & al-Sunnah. Those keyboard warriors expressed their unsolicited opinions without truly understanding Jakim’s scope of work. Jakim is the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia. As the name suggests, Jakim’s roles include formulating, coordinating and evaluating existing policies and laws, implementing community development programmes, coordinating legal enforcement mechanisms and regulatory Islamic affairs, and many more to ensure the purity of Islamic teachings and progress of Islamic affairs.
There is definitely a place for competent Muslim women leaders in civil and religious organisations. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
Some ill-informed netizens seem to mistakenly take the DG post as of a mufti’s, which is a state-run religious position with some tasks that are understandably more suited for men. This religious post is different from a DG in Jakim because the scope of a mufti’s work does not only involve issuing a fatwa and performing general official tasks, but also leading the prayer and du’a, and being the khatib in delivering khutbah. What some fail to realise is that these tasks are not the responsibilities of a Jakim’s DG.
Many Muslim women have proven exceptional leadership qualities when heading Islamic departments and academic programmes in Malaysian universities. Also, there has been an increase in the appointment of women as the Judge for state Syari’e Malaysian courts. These appointments have never really become a subject of uproar among Muslim Malaysians. So why is the announcement of Jakim’s new DG perceived differently? The recent news probably triggered some assuming citizens as it is at a grander Federal level, for a department that all Malaysians well know.
The appointment of Jakim’s female DG does not necessarily connote the downfall of competent Muslim male scholars. It simply means that at present, Datuk Hajah Hakimah is indeed the most qualified person to hold the highest post in the department.
In general, I see the appointment of our current Jakim’s DG as a fresh addition to Malaysian civil and religious departments. I am confident that she can continue to manage all important tasks under Jakim’s jurisdictions effectively, and stand strong against some haters.
Most importantly, we hope that she can further reinforce and empower women’s involvement as decision-makers in Islamic matters, protect Muslim women’s rights, and ensure fairness to all Muslims regardless of gender and background. Nonetheless, Datuk Hajah Hakimah, just like many other female leaders, evidently shoulders relatively more burden — just to prove that her gender does not disqualify her from being an effective leader for a department that is so close to many Muslim Malaysians’ hearts.
It’s time to realise that embracing a female DG in Jakim does not make us un-Islamic or liberal feminists. If a Muslim woman can build the first-ever university in human civilisation, why can’t one lead Jakim?
There is definitely a place for competent Muslim women leaders in civil and religious organisations.
*Norazrin Zamri, senior lecturer, Akademi Pengajian Bahasa, Pusat Asasi, UiTM
**This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Islamic_Development_Malaysia
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/shafii-fiqh/can-women-student-representatives/
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