Deputy Director, International Center for Islam and Pluralism, Jakarta, Syafiq Hasyim said 50 percent women in Indonesia were bread earners.
"There is no gender discrimination in Indonesia. Women are given full participation in social and political fields, depicting gender justice there," he said in a lecture on "Gender Justice and Islamic Law in Indonesia" at the Islamic Ideological Council here on Tuesday.
He said that Ulema were being trained in Indonesia to bring gender awareness at grassroots levels so that women could achieve political, social and economic empowerment. He added that Pakistan was ahead of Indonesia in political representation of women in elected bodies.
Pakistani women were politically more active, as they had 30 percent representation in a democratic set up which is a step forward for political empowerment, he added.
Hasyim said that total population of Indonesia was 200 million, 90 percent of which are Muslims, adding that every Muslim country preaches Islam according to its local trends. The ICIP official said that the people themselves had created gender discrimination.
It is need of the hour that women must be given representation in every field of life in the light of Islamic teachings, so that they could also play their constructive role in nation building, he added.
Hasyim said that Islam must be preached as a modern and progressive religion so that women could achieve their social, political and economic rights.
Implementation of Islamic laws in their true spirit could save them from exploitation, subjugation and deprivation, he said.