KUPI was born out of Indonesia’s distinctive Islamic and democratic context. Several social, cultural, and political modalities enabled the emergence of this women ulama movement. First, the practice of Islam in Indonesia has been deeply shaped by local culture. Cultural traditions that sustain social cohesion are interwoven with the values of Islam rahmatan lil ‘alamin (a mercy to all creation), forming a relatively inclusive expression of religiosity that is widely accepted. Second, Indonesia has a long history of women’s leadership. Women’s movements—both faith-based and secular—have significantly shaped the nation’s character and have long interacted within civil society spaces. This conducive environment has encouraged the emergence of many women leaders within Islamic educational institutions, which in turn has supported the growth of the women ulama movement.
Another important modality is Indonesia’s democratic system which, despite its imperfections, provides space for diverse schools of thought and religious interpretations to develop. As long as they do not contradict the foundational principles of Pancasila, various interpretations are allowed to coexist. The combination of contextual Islamic traditions, a strong history of women’s movements, and a democratic system that allows intellectual diversity forms the foundation of KUPI’s emergence.
But what about other countries? KUPI recognizes that a women ulama movement like the one in Indonesia cannot simply be replicated elsewhere. Therefore, KUPI’s global mission is not to export its model, but to help identify local modalities of women’s leadership in each country as a baseline for building their own context-specific women ulama movements. In Kenya, for example, KUPI’s consultation in February 2025 with the Inter Religious Council of Kenya (IRCK) and the African Inter Religious Council (AIRC) became a strategic moment to introduce KUPI’s methodology in responding to violations of women’s human rights. KUPI offers an approach to religious interpretation that places women’s lived experiences at the center, alongside constitutional human rights instruments and Islamic texts that support women’s rights. Although there was no strong resistance, reflections from Hamidah—a disability rights activist—highlighted a critical reality: access to religious education in Kenya remains extremely limited, especially for women and persons with disabilities. If access to religious learning itself is restricted, how can women ulama emerge?
A similar concern was raised by Prof. Fatima Seedat from South Africa during her engagement with AMAN and KUPI in 2022. She noted that her country lacks Islamic educational institutions capable of producing women religious scholars. Without institutional infrastructure and access to religious authority, it is difficult to imagine the emergence of women’s religious leadership. In response, Prof. Fatima consolidated knowledge about KUPI in the African Journal on Gender and Religion (2025), enabling the academic and activist communities to engage more deeply with this model. KUPI’s presence in Malaysia in October 2025 also offered important lessons. Together with Sisters in Islam (SIS) Forum Malaysia, a two-day consultation on women’s religious scholarship generated deep reflection—not about whether KUPI could be replicated in Malaysia, but about identifying local modalities of women’s leadership that could serve as strategic allies for building a similar movement. In Malaysia, state control over religion is strong, with Islamic institutions functioning as official moral guardians. Women’s movements face not only religious conservatism but also tendencies toward authoritarian governance that produce rigid religious interpretations. In this context, a proposal emerged that KUPI might consider developing an international fatwa to address authoritarian leadership that obstructs the fulfillment of human rights.
From these experiences, KUPI was encouraged to revise its global strategy for nurturing women ulama movements. First, by increasing the visibility of women’s leadership through identifying and documenting local leadership modalities in accessible storytelling formats. Second, by consolidating progressive voices through mapping organizations that believe Islam protects and upholds women’s human rights. When these alliances converge, the foundation of the movement becomes stronger. KUPI’s own experience demonstrates this clearly. Hundreds of organizations—faith-based, secular, and feminist—have united to support women ulama in reclaiming religious interpretative authority that has long been dominated by men. This is the central lesson of KUPI’s global journey: it is not about duplicating a model, but about identifying local modalities, building progressive alliances, and strengthening women’s leadership as the foundation for transformative change.