fahmina institute Cirebon

Fahmina-institute is a non-profit and non-government organization active in the fields of religious studies, strengthening civil society and community empowerment. It is open-minded, with an ethnically, ideologically and geographically diverse membership.  Fahmina-institute was born out of the struggles of young students in pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) in Cirebon who wanted to raise awareness about the need to develop the intellectual traditions and social ethos of the pesantren. Fahmina was established in November 2000 by Husein Muhammad, Affandi Mokhtar, Marzuki Wahid and Faqihuddin Abdul Kodir.

Vision
The realization of a civil society that is critical in its thinking, open in its attitudes, powerful in its dignity, and just in the way it regulates and orders people’s lives.

Mission

• To develop and propagate critical discourse around religion, directed towards social change that is fair and just.
• To encourage the creation of a society that is democratic and tolerant of ethnic, class, gender and religious differences
• To facilitate empowerment of oppressed communities through education and strengthening participation in the utilization of resources.

Values

1. Integrity and Transparency
2. Consistency and Self-Reliance
3. Harmony and Sense of Community
4. Equality and Gender Equity

Achievements
Since it was established, Fahmina has carried out a number of programs and activities that have contributed to change both at community level and policy-making level, particularly changes which affect the community access to their rights. Among these programs and activities are:

1. Public education and development of community awareness regarding basic rights of citizens, human beings, and women.  These efforts have been carried out in several forms, including:

• Establishment of a number of community radio stations in Cirebon, Majalengka, Indramayu and Kuningan districts.
• Warkah Al-Basyar bulletin which has been published since 2001 and which provides religious perspectives on issues such as gender, democracy and pluralism. Warkah Al-Basyar is distributed throughout Cirebon, Indramayu, Majalengka, Kuningan, and Situbondo.
• Blakasuta Bulletin which has been published since December 2003 and contains various information about issues of democracy, pluralism, community, economic empowerment and education among other topics.
• Publishing issues of the journal Fiqh Rakyat as well as various books examining Islam and gender, Islam and democracy, and Islam and pluralism.
• Raising pesantren community awareness, particularly in Cirebon, Indramayu, Kuningan, Majalengka, and West Java broadly as well as Aceh Darussalam in the form of workshops, training courses and discussion forums.

2. Policy advocacy that has influenced the realization of community rights including:

• Advocacy, assistance and capacity building for street-traders who often become the targets of raids or sweeping exercises by local government. In 2006, Fahmina succeeded in proposing an economic empowerment budget for street traders of 2 billion rupiah via the West Java Provincial government.
• Encouraging the governments of five districts in West Java (Cirebon region, Cirebon city, Indramayu, Kuningan and Majalengka) to fulfil state responsibility to provide free education and health services.  One of the results was that the Indramayu government allocated more than 20% of its regional budget (APBD) to education and health.
• Fahmina urged the Indramayu local government to devise regulations to protect  citizens who become migrant workers, particularly women, from acts of violence or crime.  The result of this intervention was the creation of Local Regulation No. 14 2005 regarding the Prevention and Prohibition of Trafficking for the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Indramayu.

3.  Publication via the Fahmina website in order to socialize critical discourse, Fahmina's campaigns, Islam in Cirebon and various other information. 

4.  Establishing Institut Studi Islam Fahmina (Fahmina Islamic Studies Institute - ISIF) tertiary institution in Cirebon. ISIF has obtained operational permission from the General Directorate of Education, Department of Religion, Indonesia via SK no.  DJ.I/405/2008 and has already opened for its first year of teaching with three faculties – Education, Law and Islamic Studies – which are comprised of 6 sub-faculties or schools.

5.  Networking and Coordination activities carried out by Fahmina to achieve maximal program design/results, including:

• Joining the People’s Voter Education Network (JPPR) to carry out democracy education work and election monitoring  at national, provincial and local levels.
• Joining the True Brotherhood Network (JPS) which advocates against central government policies that do not support religious diversity. Advocacy focused on RUU KUB (the Religious Harmony Bill) in 2004.
• Joining a pluralism monitoring network, formed in 2005 to handle cases of violence on the basis of religion.  This network also monitored government policy that did not reflect support of plurality of culture, ethnicity and religion
• Facilitating the establishment of the Community Anti-Trafficking Network (JIMAT) and the Anti-Trafficking Unit (SANTRI), two networks formed out of concern for cases of violence against women that occurs in the Cirebon region. These networks were formed as a follow-up from training carried out by Fahmina in 2005.
• In Aceh in 2007, Fahmina was involved in forming the Community Anti-Trafficking Forum (FORMAT). In general, this forum campaigned to socialize and carry out women’s empowerment with gender perspective.  Specifically, this forum provided counseling services for victims of violence such as domestic violence and trafficking, particularly women and children.
• Facilitating the establishment of the Freedom of Religion and Beliefs Monitoring Network (JAKER PAKB2) in West Java in 2007.