JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian women are making headway in their push for equality, but the rise of Islamic fundamentalism coupled with a traditional patriarchal system is making it difficult for women in rural areas to realize the results seen in cities, a group of women leaders said yesterday at a forum with the governor.

Gov. Linda Lingle wrapped up her stay in Jakarta with the talk, which included about two dozen Indonesian women leaders, including prosecutors, professors and scientists.

Most said Indonesian women had come far in recent decades, but qualified their statements by adding that the situation for educated, professional women in the country is much different from what poor women face, thousands of whom are annually forced into trafficking rings or shipped off to serve as domestic servants for the wealthy.

"We face two strong challenges. The first is traditional values, the second is the interpretation of the Quran," said Siti Chamamah Soeratno, a professor.

Pratiwi Sudarmomo, a microbiologist at the University of Indonesia, added that fundamentalist Islam especially hurts women in poor, rural communities, inhibiting their roles in society and sometimes forcing them to become prisoners in their own homes.

She blamed bad social indicators for women on the situation, saying sometimes women are refused money to get birth control or even doctor's visits while pregnant. "We have the highest maternal fatality rate, and 5 million Indonesian women are illiterate," she said.

Sudarmomo was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study rural Indonesian communities, and found life was getting worse for poor, isolated women as more families adopt fundamentalist principles of Islam trickling in from the Middle East.

USE OF HEAD SCARVES

Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world, and about 85 percent of citizens identify with the religion. Many are moderates.

The women said city dwellers tend to be more moderate than those in the countryside.

One interesting phenomenon in recent years is the increasing number of women in Indonesia wearing head scarves and conservative clothing as prescribed in Islam.

Experts said the appearance confuses outsiders, who assume the women who wear head scarves must also be adopting other values of conservative Islam. But most, said Dewi Motik Pramono, of the National Council of Women's Organizations, are not.

In fact, many younger women are wearing head scarves as a fashion statement, not so much because they are devout. "An Indonesian Muslim is not like what you see on TV," said Pramono, who wears a head scarf. "The head scarf is between you and God."

Hanna Azkiya, who also wears a head scarf, said women actually feel more free to wear head scarves in Indonesia than ever before. "I see a remarkable difference," said Azkiya, a law professor at Universitas Indonesia in Jakarta.

"More women have become free to express themselves."

Indonesia is the fourth most populous nation in the world, with about 125 million people, and its indicators for women are mixed. Though there are women judges, business leaders and politicians, there are also millions of women struggling in poverty.

Most troubling, the women said, is pervasive under-the-surface discrimination, from a glass ceiling at companies to a disinterest in taking violence against women seriously.

Some of the women charged that Indonesian police intentionally stall during rape case investigations so it is more difficult to get incriminating evidence. Because of the shame associated with the crime, many women do not even report rapes.

AN INVITATION TO HAWAI'I

The meeting is similar to others Lingle has held with women during her travels over the years. Lingle also sat down with women leaders in China and the Philippines.

During her meeting, Lingle invited the women to attend her annual women's leadership conference in Honolulu in September. She said she would try to help defray costs, with business or other support, for Indonesian women who could not afford the conference fees.

"I enjoy learning from women in different countries," Lingle said

Lingle said she hopes the meeting with the women makes them feel closer to Hawai'i, and that they feel welcome to come to the state for study or play.

She also applauded the women for their successes.

The governor arrived in Indonesia on Sunday, and her trip centered around a state partnership program forged between the Indonesian military and Hawai'i National Guard. The pact is aimed at readying both forces for natural disasters and sharing expertise.

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.