Christmas and Muhammadiyah<\/p>\n
Some Christians might have felt that Santa Claus came early
\nwhen Din Syamsuddin -- the chairman of the country's second
\nlargest Muslim organization Muhammadiyah, and also vice chairman
\nof the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) -- on Wednesday offered the
\nuse of Muhammadiyah buildings for Christmas services. However,
\nmost Christians feel skeptical about the offer by hard-line
\ngroup, the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), to protect churches
\nduring the Christmas celebrations.<\/p>\n
It is a lesser surprise to see such a friendly offer coming
\nfrom the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama
\n(NU), as this organization has had an impressive track record on
\ntolerance and pluralism over a long period of time.<\/p>\n
The goodwill gestures from Muhammadiyah and the FPI are encouraging
\nfor Christians. It is a pleasant surprise that a major Muslim
\norganization, and the FPI -- to be frank the FPI engenders a
\nstrong a perception of intolerance and violence among non-Muslims
\n-- have offered facilities and protection to Christians in the
\nexercise of their religious rights as guaranteed by the 1945
\nConstitution.<\/p>\n
However, like gifts from Santa Claus, which are always very
\nwelcome but do not normally have major implications for our
\nlives, Christians need more than just gestures of goodwill.<\/p>\n
Especially after the Christmas Eve disaster in 2000 where
\nself-proclaimed Muslim warriors bombed a number of churches
\naround the country, Christians feel anxious about their security
\nduring Christmas services, despite a strong police presence at
\nnearly all churches.<\/p>\n
Jesus, actually, is not a stranger to Muslims as Islam
\nrecognizes Jesus as a prophet and messenger. Islam, however, does
\nnot recognize Jesus as the Son of God and his crucifixion as the
\nsalvation of mankind.<\/p>\n
The offer from Muhamadiyah is especially heartening. Many
\nChristians have lost their places to worship over the last
\nseveral years following forced closures by radical Muslim groups,
\nparticularly in West Java, with the excuse normally being a lack
\nof official permits. In reality, most closures are due to the
\nfact that Muslim groups cannot accept the presence of churches in
\ntheir neighborhoods. Many of the places of worship that were
\nforcibly shut did, in fact, have official permits.<\/p>\n
There is a strong fear of \"Christianization\" among Muslims as
\nChristians are perceived as being wealthier, and because of the
\nimperative of spreading the Christian message. Although about 90
\npercent of the population is Muslim, worries about the
\nproselytizing issue remain high.<\/p>\n
Many Muslims do not understand why there are so many churches
\nin the country compared to the number of Christians. Many of
\nthem, perhaps, do not realize that the Christian religion is made
\nup of very many different churches.<\/p>\n
While the 1945 Constitution firmly guarantees the freedom of
\nreligion, the government is often weak, if not actually
\nunwilling, in carrying out its constitutional obligations.<\/p>\n
Non-Muslims often complain about what they feel is
\nincreasingly discriminatory treatment from state institutions.
\nThey feel they are being treated as second class citizens just
\nbecause their faith is different from that of the majority of the
\npopulation. On the other hand, the majority sees the minority as
\nsuffering from a persecution complex, especially given the
\neconomic power of the Christian section of the community.<\/p>\n
Of course, Christians must try to comprehend the sentiments of
\nother people and stop practices that could upset Muslims,
\nespecially as regards proselytizing<\/p>\n
We sincerely hope that the Muhammadiyah offer is the starting
\npoint toward discussing a more substantial issue: the protection
\nof Christians and other non-Muslims in the performance of their
\nreligious obligations in their daily lives, not just at
\nChristmas, while also ensuring the freedom of Muslims to exercise
\ntheir rights.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation and is
\noften cited as a model for its relatively tolerant, moderate and
\npluralistic character. It is matter of pride and honor that we
\npreserve this character, especially given the current situation
\nwhere many in the West perceive Islam as an intolerant and
\nviolent religion.<\/p>\n
On this Christmas Eve, it comes as a big surprise to hear
\nChristmas carols being sung in Muhammadiyah buildings. This
\nshould be seen as concrete evidence of tolerance and pluralism, a
\nperception that would be reinforced should it be followed by more
\nconcrete actions by all sides in this country.<\/p>\n
What would be more significant would be for organizations like
\nMuhammadiyah to start fighting against discriminatory treatment
\nnot only against Christians, but even against non-conformist
\nMuslim groups like, for example, the Ahmadiyahs.<\/p>\n
The real problem in Indonesia in the fact that people need to
\nbe protected while praying. Thus, the most important thing is to
\neliminate the need for physical protection for worshipers as this
\nneed flies in the face of all the values espoused by the
\n\"Pancasila\" state.<\/p>\n
In conclusion, it only remains for us to wish all our readers
\na very merry Christmas!<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/christmas-and-muhammadiyah-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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