New wave of Islamic Feminism in the religious film Ketika Cinta Bertasbih 2

This paper offers a semiotic and formal film analysis to deal with growing phenomenon of Islamic feminism within the Indonesian religious moving picture Ketika Cinta Bertasbih 2 (KCB). The study shows that the depiction of women’ lives in this film has a different way to the classical western film narrative structure as well as Indonesian religious (Islamic) moving pictures which commonly describe a woman’s piety according to her pursuit of a man or husband. The Film KCB 2 does not explore women bodies as an object of masculine desire in order to evoke pleasure in the phallocentric society as found in the classical Western movies, and also does not advocate stereotypical portrayal of women as passive, inexpressive and dependent women which generally depicted in Indonesian religious (Islamic) films. The narrative structure of film KCB 2 centers on Anna, the daughter of Kyai Lutfi, a head of leading boarding school Darul Quran' in Surakarta, Central Java. She not only described as intelligent and educated girl – graduated from Al-Azhar University - but also appears as a graceful woman, independent and assertive. She is also described as a woman who is open to discuss about sexuality, which generally Muslim or Muslimah may still consider it as taboo. There are at least three scenes that represent it, ie, when Anna laments to her mother regarding her sexual problems with her husband, Furqan. Next is when she reveals it openly to Furqan, and the last is when Anna looks a little bit expressive and "aggressive" in a sexual relationship with her new husband, Azzam, in their honeymoon. In general, the feminist movement in the film KCB 2 can be seen from the pattern of the portrayal of Muslim women which are dominantly in the public setting, well-educated and emancipated. Moreover this film explores the issue of Muslim female sexuality openly. In short, the depiction of women’s live in the film KCB 2 can be considered as the representation of post-traditional Islam feminist, which seeks to deconstruct the ideology of the Javanese Muslim women through re-interpret Islamic teachings in line with contemporary social realities and traditions