Indonesia is home to two of the largest Muslim organizations in the world: the “modernist” Muhammadiyah, with some 25 million followers, and the “traditionalist” Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), with some 35 million. Both of these organizations have sizable women's sections: Muhammadiyah's ‘Aisyiyah and NU's Muslimat NU. Despite their size and considerable influence, little has been written in English about either women's group. Pieternella van Doorn-Harder's welcome book seeks to remedy this deficiency by providing a comprehensive history of the role of women in Muhammadiyah and NU and the contribution their organizations have made to gender debates within Indonesian Islam.
From its inception in 1917, Muhammadiyah's ‘Aisyiyah has dedicated itself to educating women as part of the broader effort to promote reformist Islam. ‘Aisyiyah women created an extensive network of religious study groups (pengajian), kindergartens, clinics, schools, and orphanages. Van Doorn-Harder documents how ‘Aisyiyah's members have worked tirelessly, if largely...
