Resultados de la encuesta aplicada a los Docentes del Colegio

Unlike BIF, which was initiated by male Muhammadiyah figures, the embryo of BMT Al-Ikhwan came from a group of women, all members of the same majelis taklim, who were all traders at the Condong Catur traditional market in Sleman, in northern Yogyakarta. Like other traditional markets in Indonesia, the market in

Condong Catur is identified as women's territory. Ibu(Mrs) Syaifullah, a senior merchant and the leader of the majelis taklim, was the first one to propose creating an alternative means of savings and loans. She states that, at the time, receiving credit from formal financial institutions was difficult for small traders, and as such many traders borrowed money from loan sharks. When they were unable to pay their installments, the interest accumulated quickly, surpassing the principal. As a result, many traders lost their businesses (Interview, December 12, 2017).

At the market, Ibu Syaifullah is respected and exemplified by the other traders. Aside from her market activities, she is an active member of Aisyiyah. Her husband, Pak (Mr) Syaifullah, is an intellectual figure of the local Muhammadiyah branch. Such an arrangement (in which the husband is a Muhammadiyah activist and the wife is an Aisyiyah member) is quite common in Yogyakarta. Presently,

Ibu Syaifullah is a member of Aisyiyah's economics and welfare assembly for Sleman. Her involvement with this organization influences her commitment to her fellow traders, particularly in protecting them from loan sharks.

Ibu Syaifullah states that twelve non-Muslim loan sharks of Batak heritage aggressively offered loans to traders at high interest rates. She further claims that these loan sharks controlled many of Yogyakarta's traditional markets. Almost every day she saw how small traders had to deal with tough situations after defaulting.

"Next to my kiosk, there was a middle-aged woman who made a living from selling chili peppers. That day, there was a Batak man carrying money in hand while saying, 'Who needs money?' As the woman desperately needed cash, she eventually borrowed IDR 100,000. However, she only received IDR 80,000, as the rest was used to pay interest. She had to pay installments every day. If she could not afford to do so, the loan shark would get angry and make the woman cry out in fear. I could not bear to see my Muslim sisters being oppressed. Thus I promised myself that I would help them" (Interview, December 12, 2017).

Ibu Syaifullah's concerns led her to seek the help of a nearby mosque. She met Mustamil, who managed BAZIS51 at the mosque. As Ibu Syaifullah was a BAZIS administrator, she spoke to him about the situation of women in the market

51 Badan Aman Zakat Infaq and Shadaqah, an Islamic philanthropic fund collector that manages alms, zakah

and expressed hope that the mosque could help them. After intensive discussion, Mustamil and Pak Syaifullah Hasyim (Ibu Syaifullah's husband) went to the market to conduct a survey. Based on their observations, the mosque—through BAZIS—approved Ibu Syaifullah's idea of creating a group of simpan pinjam 52 and provided initial funding of IDR 800,000. To promote accountability, the mosque suggested developing an Islamic organization as a means of empowering women in the market. This was followed by the establishment of the majelis taklim Al-Khodijah, which included some 100 women traders. Since 1991, the group (under the leadership of Ibu Syaifullah) has organized monthly prayer recitals at members' houses or at the market (Interview, December 12, 2017).

The majelis taklim expanded its activities to focus not only on religious issues, but also on socio-cultural and economic programs. According to Ibu Syaifullah, its members responded very positively to its savings and loans program, and many sought access. As a result, the funds received from the mosque ran out quickly. Pak Syaifullah, the mentor of the majelis taklim, came up with the idea of raising donations. He managed to collect funds of IDR 800,000 from some of the mosque's leaders and gave the money to the majelis taklim (Interview, December 12, 2017).

The majelis taklim also actively accessed external funding. By 1998, it had managed to get IDR 75 million in funding from the Ministry of Cooperation through its LEPMM53 program. This program was intended to provide stimuli and technical assistance to the micro sector and thereby reduce the impact of the ongoing economic crisis. This program emphasized "bottom-up planning", using a concept of empowerment that prioritized communities as subjects of development (people-centered development). Through the LEPMM program, the simpan pinjam

division of the group proliferated.

Later, in the early 2000s, motored by Ibu Syaifullah and her husband, the recital group's economic division was developed into a BMT. The couple promoted the idea of BMT formation to the local community leaders, ultimately finding

52 Accumulating Saving and Credit Association or ASCRA.

twenty people who were willing to join and invest in the BMT. This new BMT took the name Al-Ikhwan, an Arabic term which means "the brothers". On March 2004, Al-Ikhwan officially gained legal status as a multi-purpose cooperative (koperasi serba usaha). Since the BMT's establishment, Al-Ikhwan has been led by Rama Widia Sentot, an alumnus of Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII). Aside from managing Al-Ikhwan, he is currently active in the organizational structure of Muhammadiyah's Sleman branch. Rama's position in Al-Ikhwan is related to his parents-in-law, Ibu and Pak Syaifullah. However, such family connections are relatively uncommon in the BMTs of Yogyakarta.

The Syaifullah family has played an influential part in Al-Ikhwan's growth.

Ibu Syaifullah, who usually spends half a day in the market for her own business, is the organization's treasurer. In this position, she and her son-in-law are responsible for directing, monitoring, and evaluating the BMT's funds. Her younger brother, Pak Khairul, is also part of the organization's administration. The dominant role of the family is further indicated by the position of Pak Syaifullah, a retired Islamic high school (Madrasah Alyah Negeri) teacher, on the organization's sharia supervisory board. Such a situation runs contrary to Amin Aziz's expectations. Aziz emphasized that BMTs should be founded by at least twenty local community leaders, as this would help prevent nepotism and the dominance of particular families in their management (Aziz, 2006, p.17).