Azyumardi frowns upon extremism<\/p>\n
T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Jakarta, tabita@cbn.net.id<\/p>\n
Azyumardi Azra is a respected Muslim scholar with western flair.
\nHe is a fan of English soccer and an admirer of Celine Dion,
\nWhitney Houston and Lionel Richie. And he is a big fan of Kho
\nPing Ho, the local author of kung fu comics.<\/p>\n
\"I like Kho Ping Ho's books because of his philosophy, the
\nhumanist values and the messages. The books tell us that even
\nthough you master good kung fu, you should not be arrogant. It is
\nthe inner beauty which counts, not (physical) strength,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"And the same thing applies to good governance.\"<\/p>\n
Indonesia is staggering under the weight of many problems, but
\nthe failure to create good governance is what bothers him most.
\nHe is also concerned about KKN (corruption, collusion and
\nnepotism) and money politics while government officials lack the
\npolitical will to address the issue.<\/p>\n
The public, non-government organizations and the media should
\njoin forces to help improve the situation, Azyumardi asserted.
\nUnfortunately, the civil society remains weak, many NGOs are
\ndisoriented and press freedom is under threat, as apparent in the
\nTempo weekly newsmagazine saga.<\/p>\n
\"But we still have hope. The coming direct presidential and
\nvice-presidential elections will become a milestone and is
\nexpected to have snowballing effects with the direct election of
\ngovernors and mayors, which will reduce the oligarchy of the
\npolitical parties and money politics,\" he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Azyumardi is always busy addressing seminars. He received The
\nJakarta Post for an interview after addressing a seminar on Civic
\nEducation in Jakarta, just a few hours after he arrived from
\nYogyakarta, where he had talked at a seminar. Last week, he went
\nto Montreal, Canada, for an inter-faith dialogue.<\/p>\n
\"Tonight I should be at the airport, heading to Cairo for a
\nseminar on the Islamic Synthesis to contemporary issues, which is
\nheld by the American University in Washington DC,\" he said.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday (Oct. 22) Azyumardi, along with leaders of the
\ncountry's two most powerful Moslem organizations, Muhammadiyah
\nand Nahdlatul Ulama, is scheduled to be in Bali for a meeting
\nwith U.S. President George W. Bush.<\/p>\n
Azyumardi, 48, said he was happy he had the chance to share
\nhis ideas, through which he hopes to contribute for the
\nbetterment of the country.<\/p>\n
He criticized former U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Paul
\nWolfowitz for accusing -- after the World Trade Center attacks on
\nSept. 11 -- Indonesia of being a safe haven of terrorists.<\/p>\n
\"I told him that such a statement would only fan anti-American
\nsentiment and suggested that he, instead, help Indonesia improve
\nthe credibility of the law enforcers,\" he said. The U.S. later
\noffered Indonesia US$50 million assistance for Indonesian police.
\nIt is unclear, though, whether the aid had anything to do with
\nAzyumardi's criticism.<\/p>\n
During his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell,
\nhe aired his objection to the U.S.-led war on Iraq and when he
\nmet Australian Prime Minister John Howard, he called Australia to
\nshow more empathy to the countries in the Asia-Pacific region
\ninstead of becoming the defender of the U.S.<\/p>\n
At home, the outspoken Azyumardi criticized radical Muslims
\nwhom he said have stirred restlessness with their terror attacks.<\/p>\n
He maintained that the chaotic social and political condition
\nin Indonesia had provided fertile ground for radicalism. To
\ncontain their activity, the government should address problems
\nsuch as drugs, corruption and poor law enforcement, he said.<\/p>\n
He underlined the need for law enforcers to be more
\nprofessional and improve their credibility in their
\ninvestigations. The recent unlawful arrests of suspected
\nterrorists, who were later released, would only worsen the
\ncondition as the action justified the assumption of a conspiracy
\ntheory, he said.<\/p>\n
According to Azyumardi, radicalism has also been spurred by
\nthe rigid interpretation of Islamic teachings.<\/p>\n
Islam, in the level of divine revelation, is one, but its
\ninterpretations vary as it involves human reasoning, he argued.
\nThis also explains why Islam in Indonesia is different from Islam
\nin other countries, he said.<\/p>\n
Even though Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the
\nworld, Azyumardi disapproves of the idea of imposing syariah, or
\nIslamic law, because of the country's religious plurality.<\/p>\n
Islamic law itself will have many interpretations and its
\nimplementation will bring discrimination against the Muslim
\npeople themselves. \"For example, if a Muslim steals, his hand
\nmust be severed, but it does not apply to a non-Muslim. Wouldn't
\nit discriminate against the Muslim?\"<\/p>\n
Azyumardi described Pancasila as the perfect ideology and
\ncalled upon the opening of the public discourse for its
\nrejuvenation, but he is strongly opposed to the indoctrination of
\nPancasila.<\/p>\n
Azyumardi, rector of the Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State
\nUniversity, learned about Islam \"by accident\". It was his
\nparents, who were both Islamic religious teachers, who
\ncompelled him to do so.<\/p>\n
\"My philosophy is that if I am at the riverside, I must be
\nable to float, otherwise I will drown,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Therefore, he followed his parents' order to enter Islamic
\nschool and then enrolled at the State Institute of Islamic
\nStudies (now called Islamic State University), majoring in
\nTarbiyah (education). He continued his studies at Columbia
\nUniversity in New York, majoring in history and in Middle East
\nlanguages and cultures. He got his PhD in history from the same
\nuniversity.<\/p>\n
\"Now I give freedom for my children about what they want to
\nstudy,\" said Azyumardi, who has four children from his marriage
\nto Ipah Farihah.<\/p>\n
His eldest child studies economics at Bina Nusantara
\nUniversity, Jakarta, the second at a junior high school, the
\nthird is at an Islamic elementary school (Madrasah), and the
\nyoungest is still in kindergarten.<\/p>\n
Azyumardi, who was born in Lubuk Alung, West Sumatra, is a
\nMinang, while his wife is a Sundanese. He said that his parents
\nat first did not like her because they expected him to marry a
\nwoman from the same ethnic group. \"But after a while, they got
\nalong very well,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Azyumardi always encourages his children to read. \"At their
\nbirthday, instead of having a party, I will take them to the
\nbookstore and let them choose as many books as they like.\"<\/p>\n
Azyumardi, who has written 18 books, also loves movies, but he
\nonly watches them on cable television. \"I am reluctant to go to
\nthe movie theater, because there are always people who recognize
\nme and I would become uneasy,\" he said.<\/p>",
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