The Indonesian Family Planning Association
(PKBI) has taken an unusual step to promote population control by releasing a
book exploring the Koran’s position on sexual issues.
The
book, launched yesterday in Jakarta, was titled Fiqh Seksualitas, (Islamic
Sexual Jurisprudence), and was written by Muslim scholars.
The
book explores many topics, including the importance of sexual rights, the right
to enjoy one’s sexuality and masturbation — all considered taboo topics by
conservatives in the nation’s largest Muslim-majority nation.
The
PKBI’s operations chief, Sarsanto Wibisono Sarwono, said the organisation often
faced difficulties in introducing family planning programs to the public due to
ignorance and the mistaken perception that family planning contradicted the
tenets of Islam.
Sarsanto
said that birth-control programs were important, considering that the nation’s
population has grown at an alarming rate.
According
to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the population of Indonesia was 237
million in 2010.
Only 32
million people had participated in government-sponsored family-planning
programs in 2011, according to the latest data from the National Family
Planning Board (BKKBN).
Bali,
North Sulawesi and Central Kalimantan were the provinces with the highest level
of participation in family-planning programs, according to the board.
The
population of West Java, the nation’s most populous province, might increase
dramatically by 2020, according to one report that said that contraceptive use
in West Java had flat lined over the past 10 years, leveling off at 60 per cent
of married couples.
Siti
Musdah Mulia, one of the book authors, said that Indonesian society had always
considered sex a taboo subject.
The
Muslim scholar added that prevailing interpretations of Islam in the nation had
cemented a popular perception of sexuality as a forbidden subject.
"In
the end, we are clueless about the function of our reproductive organs, we
can’t enjoy sex as we should and the number of children born every year
skyrockets,” she added.
Husein
Muhammad, another contributor to the book, said that he often met with women in
villages who believed that they could not refuse their husbands’ demands for
sex under Islamic teachings.
"These
women are afraid of being punished by God. They grew up being taught by society
that women must serve their husbands, no matter what” he said.
"But
that’s not how it works,” Husein added. “Women have equal rights with men. They
can say no to their husbands’ demands.”
According
to Husein, Islamic teachings have not developed over the last 10 centuries,
which has resulted in old-fashioned, textual-based perceptions of sex that were
often wrong.
Many
factors, including the current situation in society, had to be considered when
interpreting the Koran; the hadith, or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad; and
other Islamic laws, he added.
Siti
and Husein said that they were perplexed by those who equated their support of
condoms for contraception with the promotion of free sex.
Regular
condom use, the pair agreed, prevented unwanted pregnancies and was essential
for limiting the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases.
Contacted
separately, Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chairman Amidhan criticised
publication of the book, saying that the PKBI should focus more on family
planning than sex.
"I
don’t see how they could come up with this book. If they plan to discuss the
book’s contents with people, they must do it very carefully, because those are
sensitive issues,” Amidhan said.
News
Desk
The
Jakarta Post
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