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بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

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News:

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The government of President Joko Widodo will examine the reduction of working hours for women. “It was a great idea and will be studied. In principle, Mr. Jokowi focus on the child’s future,” said Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Hanif Dhakiri, through his spokesman Suhartanto, Tempo, Monday, December 1st, 2014.

Hanif rate, female labor force must have more time to take care of children and their families. Efforts were made so that children have sufficient time to close to his mother. Hanif said the proximity of the child and the mother, can educate children better.

In the modern world, he said, a mother should be at home to take care of her children. However, Hanif still found a woman who worked hard to support his family. “We want the future of Indonesian children determined by affectionate mother,” he said.

Earlier, Vice President Jusuf Kalla plans to issue a policy of working time reduction for women. Kalla concerned with the development of the emancipation of women in the modern era. Active women in work and technology, can lose important time in the growth of their children. According to Kalla, a woman shall be at her children’s side at every stage of their development. (Tempo, Tuesday, 2nd December 2014)

Comments:

Towards the 86th National Commemoration of Mother’s Day on December 22, 2014, the government of this country once again showed his character as a capitalist and neoliberalist regime. Although called as Mother’s Day, but the orientation is not on strengthening and optimizing the strategic role of a mother, but rather deprive the role of the woman as mother. Mass poverty as a latent problem of this nation and today’s civilization is now solved by employing women and demanded their economic independence to improve the quality of life for themselves and their children.

Attention to motherhood is limited to the policy to have daycare not far from the workplace and discourse of reduction for 2 working hours for working women who have small children. It states that capitalism has waged war on motherhood. And the neo-liberal regime in Indonesia became one of the proof! As knowing most working mothers feel an inner dilemma, between career and family the regime offers a ‘solution’ to a reduction in working hours. So that women are still willing to be squeezed to sweat to produce money for his family. Also in order to elevate the the nation’s poverty and even further, to save the world economic crisis.

Please, ask any working mother! In her heart of hearts, they would have been more happy if there is a guarantee to solve their financial burden, not by their own hard labor. But, of course, they could not find it in the current capitalist system, which actually enslaves them in the grinding wheels of the economy in the name of economic independence. They will only find the financial security in the Islamic system represented by the Khilafah.

In this case, Islam guarantees basic needs of women and their children with three mechanisms of living guarantee. First: Islam guarantees basic needs of each woman by giving obligation on the husband / father. The Prophet (saw) said, ولهن عليكم رزقهن وكسوتهن بالمعروف»…«“The obligation of the husband to the wife is giving them food, and clothing.” (Reported by Ibn Majah and Muslim from Jabir bin Abdillah ra).

Secondly: Islam imposes obligations on subsistence to male relatives when no husband / father or they exist but cannot afford. Islam requires close relatives provide living for the immediate family dependents ﴿وَعلَى الْمَوْلُودِ لَهُ رِزْقُهُنَّ وَكِسْوَتُهُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ لاَ تُكَلَّفُ نَفْسٌ إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا لاَ تُضَآرَّ وَالِدَةٌ بِوَلَدِهَا وَلاَ مَوْلُودٌ لَّهُ بِوَلَدِهِ وَعَلَى الْوَارِثِ مِثْلُ ذَلِكَ﴾“Upon the father is the mothers’ provision and their clothing according to what is acceptable. No person is charged with more than his capacity. No mother should be harmed through her child, and no father through his child. And upon the [father’s] heir is [a duty] like that [of the father].” [Surah al-Baqarah [2]: 233]

Third: A living guarantee of the Khilafah through Baitul Mal directly to women who can not afford and do not have anyone who would give living to her like the poor widow. Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, » «… ومن ترك كلا فإلينا “Whoever dies leaving Kalla (person alone), then he becomes my dependent.” (Reported by Muslim). The meaning of Kalla is weak people who do not have children and fathers.

By ensuring the economic rights of women through the guarantee for living mechanism, women can contribute to the development of civilization without dealing with the many dilemmas.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by

Iffah Ainur Rochmah

Spokesperson of Muslimah Hizb ut Tahrir in Indonesia