Humans are social beings who rely on one another in their lives. With diversity such as gender, race, ethnicity, and customs, people gather into communities, nations, and states.
In living with diversity, encountering obstacles and challenges is common. For instance, Indonesia’s experience of being colonized by foreign powers for approximately 350 years represents one such phenomenon.
To uphold the nation’s identity and safeguard numerous lives and the spirit of Indonesian society, the figures who fought against colonial powers did not necessarily require titles or rewards; they rightfully deserve to be acknowledged as heroes. Heroes are individuals who exhibit courage, contribute to the pursuit of truth, and strive for independence.
Anugrah Andriansah, in his written work, asserts that Indonesian heroes are predominantly represented with a masculine approach based on the records of the State Secretariat of the 21st Century. This indicates that the majority of heroes are men, while female heroes are scarcely recorded in history.
Women during the pre-independence era up to the reformation period actively participated in the struggle for Indonesian independence, yet their roles remain seldom highlighted in public discourse. Discussions regarding women have become prevalent in various circles recently. Around the 19th century or earlier, there was a tendency for discrimination, patriarchy, subordination, and marginalization of women, viewing them as secondary to men, despite both being equally human.
Women’s lives back then seemed constructed by society, deeming it mandatory for women to confine themselves to their homes and forbidding them from leaving. However, over time, certain parties, including women themselves, began to raise awareness and fight for women’s rights.
The representation of female heroes taught in schools typically centers on R.A. Kartini, who championed women’s emancipation. Kartini advocated for women to have equal rights in education alongside men.
Kartini played a significant role in the pre-independence era in the field of education, striving to educate women and equip them with skills to become competent mothers. Kartini, the daughter of the Regent of Jepara, wrote several letters that gained attention from J.H. Abendanon, the head of the colonial government’s Education Department since 1900, contributing to the publication of Kartini’s writings titled ‘Door duisternis tot licht’ (Out of Dark Comes Light). This writing aimed to provide crucial insights for young women at that time. Kartini’s name became known as an early milestone for the feminist movement in Indonesia.
Apart from Kartini, there exists another female hero rarely documented in history, Rahmah El Yunusiah. Born in Bukit Surungan, Padang Panjang, Dutch East Indies (now West Sumatra) on Saturday, December 29, 1900, to a family of scholars, her father, Muhammad Yunus al-Khalidiyah, was a prominent scholar, while her mother was named Rafiah. Rahmah El Yunusiah was given the epithet ‘ayam betina yang berkokok’ (the crowing female chicken).
She was renowned for her aspiration to advance her region. From a young age, she diligently sought knowledge, meeting prominent scholars in her region to enhance her religious knowledge. Eventually, she established Indonesia’s first Muslim women’s school, Diniyyah Puteri, on November 1, 1923, during the Dutch colonial era. Rahmah was the only woman given the title of ‘Syekhah’ by Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. This university mirrored Diniyyah Puteri. She preceded Al Azhar, earning her the title of a woman ahead of her time.
Around the 1927s, Rahmah El Yunusiah fearlessly confronted Dutch authority by continually developing Diniyyah Puteri. Despite the neighboring school, Thawalib, being paralyzed due to the 1927 PKI rebellion, Rahmah’s courage remained unwavering. As a result, Rahmah and her school were constantly monitored and surveilled by the Dutch.
One day, Diniyyah Puteri was searched by the Political Intelligence Service (PID) troops aiming to find potentially undermining information against Dutch power. The search occurred because the Dutch could no longer tolerate Diniyyah Puteri’s defiance, considering it capable of producing resilient insurgents. Rahmah El Yunusiah forbade the Dutch from searching all rooms, including the dormitories. However, she was forced into silence with a weapon pointed at her. The Dutch did not desire educated indigenous people who could potentially oppose their rule.
Rahmah El Yunusiah’s struggle did not end there. After the arrival of the Japanese, Padang’s situation became increasingly chaotic. Japan gathered women in every colonized country, including Indonesia. This news incited Rahmah’s fury upon hearing that a group of Minang women had been abducted, captured, and taken to Medan. Rahmah journeyed to Medan for days alongside her friends and guards, consisting of young freedom fighters.
Upon reaching the place where the Minang women were held captive, Rahmah encountered the Japanese commander with his wife. A heated dialogue ensued, leading Rahmah’s guards to detain the commander’s wife, initiating an agreement: if the captive women were released, the commander’s wife would also be set free. Finally, the agreement was fulfilled, and the captive Minang women came out, met Rahmah, and embraced her with immense gratitude.
After overcoming various challenges and obstacles, Rahmah El Yunusiah received news on August 20, 1945, of Indonesia’s independence. Rahmah swiftly gathered her students, announced the news, and hastily made a flag because there was no flag available at that time to hoist.
Using a makeshift red woven cloth combined with two overlapping white shawls, the red and white flag was created, then raised atop the Diniyyah Puteri courtyard pole. Many people claimed that Rahmah El Yunusiah was the first person to hoist the red and white flag in Padang Panjang.
Rahmah El Yunusiah’s seldom-documented struggle is beginning to surface. In 2013, although Rahmah El Yunusiah had passed away, her contributions were honored with the Bintang Mahaputra Adipradana award by the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, accepted by Fauziah, Rahmah El Yunusiah’s granddaughter, who aspires to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps.
The story of this female hero from Padang Panjang is highly inspiring. Upholding her human rights, Rahmah strived tirelessly to ensure that indigenous people, especially women, received treatment befitting any other human being. Rahmah refused to let women experience discrimination, violence, or marginalization due to patriarchal culture. In today’s context, we should draw lessons from her example and apply them in real life, acknowledging that every human being, regardless of gender, deserves to live well, mutually respecting and honoring one another.
Translated from here.