The Main Character's Sexual Behaviour in Tuhan, Izinkan Aku
Menjadi Pelacur!
by Muhidin M Dahlan
The novel Tuhan, Izinkan Aku Menjadi Pelacur! written by Muhidin M. Dahlan in 2011
tells the story of a conservative girl named Nidah Kirani who falls in love with religion very
fiercely. Disappointment brought her crashing into waves she had never imagined before, she
ended up in inner turmoil and traps that tormented her with thousands of unanswered
questions about faith, God, religion and stigma. In the end, she decided to become a prostitute
at her own discretion. As the title suggests, this is a memoir about the wounds of a Muslimah.
In our own country, talking about sexual behavior is taboo, especially in educational
institutions. A conservative and overly normative environment often triggers sexual matters
that are rarely discussed. This is not in line with technological developments in this era which
are so massive that understandings that were once considered taboo are now so easy to
access. The impact can be enormous because countless amounts of information come without
filters and without a strong foundation of understanding. Discussing taboo matters as a
preventive measure for the social environment is something that modern society should do,
because this will be very complicated when faced with critical individuals.
According to Yasraf Amir Piliang in the prologue of the Kompas daily newspaper
(14/08/2011).
“For our society, patrons (role models) are important. Unfortunately, state officials who
can be considered patrons now almost do not exist. Law enforcement officials, members of
the DPR and the president are not trusted so they are not used as patrons. Community figures,
such as religious leaders and teachers who can be used as patrons of wider community values,
are also increasingly rare. Ultimately, society looks to its own role models. Only mass media,
especially television. That's where our society looks for patrons of value. Television is what
defines who I am. We learn etiquette from television, including how to dress, behave, do
business, and even speak."
Talking about the impact of technological progress, women are the objects most often
discussed. Women with their beauty and roles seem to be more interesting to discuss than
other objects. In the novel Tuhan, Izinkan Aku Menjadi Pelacur!, it is very interesting how
the main character is positioned as an object as well as a subject. There is a significant change
in his attitudes and behaviour related to his beliefs. This essay will uncover the sexual behaviour of the main female character in the novel Tuhan, Izinkan Aku Menjadi Pelacur! by Muhidin
M Dahlan.
The character Nidah Kirani experiences a period of becoming a helpless woman due to
disappointment and adversity. This feeling of disappointment and decline is dominated by
sexual attitudes that are related to her values as a Muslim woman. It can be seen on page 121 when Nidah tries to reveal the mask that men wear to hide their depravity. Nidah is disappointed
with the attitude of men who only want to complete sexual satisfaction for her. She is met
with the realization that she is only being used as an object to satisfy her lust. As a
conservative Muslim woman, who was passionate about studying religion, struggled on the
path of prosecution with full responsibility, and was determined to seek the Kaffah teachings
of the Islamic religion, falling with men is destroying her values. On page 128, it is also
shown how the character Nidah struggles with the problems she faces in fighting for her
virginity as someone who has had it taken away.
The response to disappointment depicted through the sexual behaviour of the character
Nidah Kirani is the loss of her confidence in God, marriage, love and men. The
disappointment he carried continued to accumulate, producing sceptical arguments regarding
things he once believed in deeply. The description of the main character's sexual behavior is
promiscuous sex. The downturn brought him stress and depression so he decided to take
illegal drugs and get to know men. His continued exploration resulted in an unconstructive
attitude. Her promiscuous behavior led her to sexual adventures and she ended up with the
idea of becoming a prostitute. The narration created by Muhidin M Dahlan with his language
which adds an explicit but sharp impression makes Nidah's character feel very controversial.
This free sexual behavior is a major concern aimed at teenagers today. This phenomenon is
becoming increasingly common with technological developments and the existence of
"dating" using body language.
The conclusion of this essay is that sexual attitudes rooted in disappointment
experienced by the main character give rise to controversial arguments regarding the value of
God, love and affection, as well as the role of men. This sexual attitude gives birth to sexual
behaviour, namely free sex, which is the beginning of a journey where the main character
decides to become a prostitute. In the end, the main character tries to forcefully change her
role as a destroyed object into a subject who has power over men and their desires. However,
this sexual behavior has an impact on the existence of the main character who is forever
mired in the black valley of prostitution. Attitudes and awareness need to be watched out
for considering that casual sex is a phenomenon that is starting to occur among teenagers.
Overall, this novel breaks down all the stigma in religion and belief which is the basis or
initial cause of the birth of a Muslim woman's wounds.
References
Dahlan, Muhidin M. 2008. Tuhan, Izinkan Aku Menjadi Pelacur!.
Media Indonesia. 19 September 2011. “Aktivis Perempuan Desak Pembenahan
Transportasi”
Penulis: Anisa Lestari