She argues that physical abuse should be banned in Islam, as it has been banned in Indonesia‟s law. It can be clearly seen that such violence attacks and prejudices women. She
explained further that her neighbor experienced such physical violence in which the husband hit the wife every time he‟s upset.
“In my village, there‟s only one family... her husband does such kind of violence. I don‟t really know the reason. But if her husband is mad, he will beat her. She did
nothing.”
It implicitly tells that her society is partriarchal. Such case is a evidence that violence against Moslem women really happened in real life of an Islam Javanese family in her society.
Responding to sexual abuse in the movie, Damay expressed that she totally disagrees and even feels uncomfortable with it. She believes that rape is a crime already, what makes it
worse is that it was done in the marriage relationship. “I think it‟s so inhuman because they are both already married. Maybe the husband
can ask the wife kindly. I mean, rape is just for criminal. It should not be done with his to woman. It‟s just so cruel if it‟s done in the marriage.”
This opinion is interesting if it‟s related to an Al-Quran verse that says that a wife should
satisfy her husband physically too by giving sexual satisfaction to their husband. She argues that sexual abuse in Islamic marriage life should be banned.
1.4.Women Oppression and Gender Inequality in Islam
Discussing about the movie, she thinks that it ‟s obvious that the movie portrays the
power ‟s gap between Moslem men and women. Men are the ones who have power and
authority to oppress Moslem women. The most interesting comment she gave is that it ‟s even
hardly to have gender equality in Islam.
“Maybe in Islam, it‟s almost impossible if men and women are in the same position. But in the violence, I disagree with it.”
Moreover, she claims that the issue of violence against Moslem women in the movie led her to believe and expect more that women and men should be equal in Islam. However,
it‟s different with Islam‟s preaching about Islam family. For it is stated in Al-Quran that men are leaders of family, above women and children,
Damay‟s expectation of having gender equality in Islam seems to be impossible.
Commenting on the relation between men‟s role as Imam and the violence in Indonesia, she acknowledged that
such men‟s role affects the happening of violence against Moslem women.
“Because men feel that they have the power. I am the ruler. I‟m the one who all the members of family should follow. And if they do not, I just can do anything that I
want.” She emphasized the power of Moslem men gives them chance to oppress women. She
considered such Moslem men ‟s authority as the factor contributing to phenomenon of
violence against women. From her response, she believes that Moslem women are oppressed in Islam family.
2. Second Participant Dian
2.1.Participan t’s Background
Dian is a female last-semester student year 2009 of English Department who was born and raised in Salatiga. She admitted that her family doesn
‟t follow any certain Islam stream like Muhammadyah or NU.
Her personal opinion about gender equaliy‟s issue in Islam is that men and women should be equal and have the same position. She believes that women should
be a part of decision making in Moslem family. She criticized that in Islam men are the only
leaders in family, whereas women are sometimes lack of contribution in making decision. H Before the interview, she also claimed that she totally disagrees with violence against
Moslem women. She actually believes that Al-Qur ‟an positively supports women, but at
some points, she disagrees that women are placed after men in Islam family.
2.2.General Impression toward the Movie
When she was asked about her impression after watching the movie, she expressed her amazed feeling by sayin
g the word “wow” many times. She can feel the atmosphere and the portrayal of Javanese Moslem society in the movie as if it is real
since she‟s a Moslem who also lives upholding Javanese culture.
“Wow, wow, it‟s just so wow, wow, wow. I mean, I‟m a Javanese and I‟ve been living here for my whole life steps until now. And I‟m also Moslem. My family still holds the
Javanese culture.”
Though she lives in the same background religion and culture –Moslem and Javanese, she
added that she could find many differences between what happened in the movie with what happens in the society.
However, what is surprising from her response is that she says that she herself also experienced things like in the movie. This is quite contradictive with her previous argument
that what happened in the movie is not the same with the reality since she herself actually experienced such things as well in her society. Her further explanation makes it clear that she
actually agrees if such movie is produced to portray what happened in the society in real life. “What actually happen in real life is not always like that. So probably the movie only
portrays several things that really happen. But not each family or person has experienced things like that. But apart of that, I do agree, because as a woman, like I
want people to see and realize that: hey that things ha ppen and don‟t do that to
women .”
2.3.Physical and Sexual Violence
Responding to the physical abuse in the movie, she argues that the physical abuse is not the impact of the culture, but it has something to do with his mentality like mental
disorder. Javanese Islam culture is not a factor why this character did physical violence toward Anisa
because it‟s comparable with another male character that lives in the same cultural background in this movie: Khudori
– a good guy whose moral is totally different with Samsudin.
“It‟s not about the culture, it‟s not about the Moslem itself, but there‟s so
mething wrong with the mentality of this man.”
Personally, she argues that physical abuse should be banned in Moslem family because she thinks women have right to be treated fairly.
“Women should be praised and treated well.”
On the other hand, she explained that there‟s an Islam‟s rule that allows Imam or
Moslem husband may menyentil flicked his wife if only the wife does n‟t obey him at all and
always does bad things. Based on her opinion, it‟s not violence since it‟s just a warning to
remind a wife to be a good Moslem wife. Furthermore, she gave an example of a Moslem couple who experienced physical abuse in her society.
“...some month or a year ago... there‟s someone... they worked in a place close to my house. The husband sometimes does violence to his wife.... This thing is like portrayal
that such cases still happen.”
By witnessing such real example of Javanese Moslem family who still experienced physical violence in, she confirms that what the movie portrays somehow happens too in real life.
Surprisingly, she claimed that it also happened to herself actually. Though she did n‟t
directly experience physical abuse, she felt oppressed by mental abuse that was unconsciously done by her father. She emphasized that her life was lack of freedom as a
