Women Remembering the Prophet’s Birthday: Maulid Celebrations and Religious Emotions Among the Alawiyin Community in Palembang, Indonesia

Abstract

In Palembang in South Sumatra, Indonesia,  Maulid  celebrations are considered an important religious event in the lives of many Muslims. Over the past twenty years, there has been an expansion of activities, the driving force behind which has been a young generation of  Alawiyin  in Palembang.  Maulid  celebrations organized by the  Alawiyin in Palembang are separated along gender lines. In this paper, I show how female-only Maulid  celebrations enable Muslim women, and especially the  sharifat , to express their emotions and allow for bodily expressions during the actual  Maulid  event. I will argue that, in women-only celebrations, women express religious emotions which they wish to show but also which are expected from them as the expression of love for the Prophet Muhammad is part of the Islamic understanding internalized by the  Alawiyin .