By Dwi Rubiyanti Kholifah (Ruby) 

When I arrived in New York for the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), I carried more than just my suitcase. I brought with me the stories of the women I’ve worked with in Indonesia, the vision of faith-rooted justice that has shaped my journey, and the hope that global spaces like this one can begin to listen more deeply to women of faith. 

As Secretary General of the Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN), I work to elevate women’s voices in religious spaces from rural communities to international platforms. CSW69 offered a rare opportunity to speak not just about women, but with them. As part of the JISRA delegation, alongside fourteen other incredible women religious leaders from Africa and Asia, I was reminded how powerful it is when our lived realities shape the global agenda. 

From classrooms to conference rooms

At home in Indonesia, I coordinate Women’s Schools for Peace and facilitate interfaith dialogues between Muslim women leaders across Southeast Asia. I’ve witnessed how theological teachings, when reinterpreted through a gender-just lens, can be a force for liberation rather than limitation. 

This is the lens I brought to CSW69. Not just as a participant, but as someone who has long worked to challenge the idea that religion and gender justice are at odds. During our time in New York, our delegation shared concrete stories of change. From healing initiatives in conflict-affected regions to faith-based campaigns against gender-based violence. These stories weren’t theories. They were living proof that women are already transforming their communities from within religious frameworks. 

What stood out to me was how these global conversations often echo the same questions we face at the local level: Who defines justice? Whose voices are heard in religious interpretation? And how do we shift from exclusion to inclusion? 

Theology through the eyes of women

During one of the panel sessions, I shared a quote from Dr. Nur Rofiah, an Indonesian scholar whose work continues to inspire me: 

“It is impossible that God would reveal verses that only add to women’s suffering…” 

This resonates deeply with my own belief that justice must be defined by those who have long been left out of the conversation. For too long, theology has been shaped through male experiences and perspectives. But women—who live through menstruation, childbirth, nurturing, and endless care work—carry a different wisdom. Justice, when re-centered on women’s lives, becomes more human, more honest, more whole. 

This is the approach we’ve taken at the Indonesian Congress of Women Ulama (KUPI): reinterpreting sacred texts through women’s lived realities. At CSW69, I saw that this isn’t just happening in Indonesia. From Nigeria to Pakistan, Brazil to Mali, women of faith are reclaiming religious spaces. They do not do so by breaking tradition, but by embodying its most compassionate principles. 

A shared stage, a stronger movement

Being part of this delegation was about more than speaking at events. Above all, it was about being seen. One of our sessions, hosted inside the UN and co-organized with the Indonesian government, filled the room to capacity. Diplomats, UN officials, and civil society leaders came to listen to women religious actors. We were not seen as symbols, but as changemakers. 

It was moving to see the recognition build throughout the week. We weren’t asking for permission. We were offering perspective, wisdom, and practice. Our contributions weren’t just welcomed: they were needed. 

Beyond the official sessions, the most meaningful moments happened in the in-between: late-night conversations, shared prayers, tears of recognition, and bursts of laughter. We didn’t only build networks, we built solidarity.  

The road ahead

CSW69 reaffirmed that women of faith are not on the margins: we are leading the way. But to keep moving forward, we need more than just moments of visibility. We need sustained partnerships. We need democratic spaces where women can speak without fear. And we need the world to recognize that religious actors—especially women—are not obstacles to gender justice. We are its architects. 

The movement doesn’t begin or end in New York. It’s already alive in the work of mothers, teachers, scholars, and activists who draw strength from their faith and turn it into action. But when international platforms recognize and uplift this work, it accelerates our collective journey. 

I return home not with answers, but with renewed questions, deeper connections, and a stronger resolve to keep pushing. Because the path to justice is not paved with theory, but with the steps of those who walk it daily. 

And women of faith: we walk it together.