'Democracy can thrive with Islam'<\/p>\n
Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Fears of religious extremism in Indonesian politics have become
\nquite strong following recent terror attacks, but it should not
\npose a threat to the fledgling democracy in the predominantly
\nMuslim nation, analysts here said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
They believe that Indonesia will survive the struggle for
\ndemocracy and be able to withstand the challenge by Islamic
\nmilitants, given their relatively tiny minority within the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
Rizal Sukma, a director of studies at the Centre for Strategic
\nand International Studies (CSIS), said the emergence of several
\nIslamic parties campaigning for the implementation of sharia law
\nshould not be perceived as a serious challenge to the frail
\ndemocracy here.<\/p>\n
\"Those who support the agenda of sharia through constitutional
\nmeans remain a tiny minority group,\" he told a three-day seminar
\non Islamic militant movements in Southeast Asia, organized by the
\nCenter for Languages and Cultures at the State Islamic University
\n(UIN).<\/p>\n
He said public support was very low for Islamist ideas,
\nalthough Indonesia is home to a majority of Muslims.<\/p>\n
This could be seen through the results of the 1999 elections,
\nin which the parties that advocated sharia law -- the United
\nDevelopment Party (PPP), the Crescent Star Party (PBB) and the
\nJustice Party (PK) -- seized less than 15 percent of votes in a
\ntotal, Rizal added.<\/p>\n
The three parties had sought the inclusion of the Jakarta
\nCharter to the amended 1945 Constitution in a bid to promote
\nsharia in the country, but failed in their struggle at the
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly as major political groups opposed
\nthe idea.<\/p>\n
Opposition also came from the largest mainstream Islamic
\norganizations, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, which
\nembrace a moderate brand of Islam and support the idea of
\ndemocracy.<\/p>\n
However, Rizal said supporters of sharia law should not simply
\nbe branded \"militants\" as long as they went about it in a
\npeaceful, constitutional way.<\/p>\n
Bachtiar Effendi, a lecturer from Jakarta's UIN, was of a
\nsimilar opinion that political Islam would not be detrimental to
\ndemocracy.<\/p>\n
\"As long as Islam is being used only as a party symbol, then
\nits impacts on the structure of the country's politics are
\ninsignificant,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He claimed that political Islam did not necessarily mean
\nauthoritarianism, and that a symbol is merely a matter of human
\nnecessity.<\/p>\n
\"If one party employs the politics of symbolism, one cannot
\njump to a conclusion that such a party will automatically resort
\nto reactionary methods,\" he added.<\/p>\n
After the downfall of authoritarian, but secular, president
\nSoeharto in 1998, Indonesia saw a number of Islamic political
\nparties, including the major ones -- PPP, PBB and PK -- grow in
\nstrength. However, they have no structural links with other
\nextremist groups such as Laskar Jihad and the Islam Defenders'
\nFront (FPI).<\/p>\n
Laskar Jihad was notorious for sending Muslim mercenaries to
\nfight Christians in Maluku, while many FPI leaders have been
\nformally charged with vandalism following dozens of violent raids
\non gambling dens and bars that serve alcohol.<\/p>\n
Both of the militant groups have essentially the same goal as
\nthe major Islamic parties -- to struggle for the enforcement of
\nsharia in the country.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the same seminar, American scholar Elizabeth
\nFuller Collins acknowledged that a more extreme version of Islam
\nwas a growing force in Indonesia due to a large population of
\nyoung people facing economic difficulties.<\/p>\n
She added that the people's hopes, for democracy to bring
\nabout a better future, were being undermined because of
\nwidespread frustration with President Megawati Soekarnoputri's
\ngovernment, which includes a lack of support for true reform and
\nincreasing corruption.<\/p>\n
Rizal gave another reason to believe that Indonesia would
\nremain resilient to the challenge of religious extremism and said
\nthe majority of Muslims did not see Islam as contradictory to
\ndemocracy.<\/p>\n
American democracy and its political process, with some
\nqualifications, still is a source of inspiration for many key
\nmoderate Muslim leaders, including NU's Hasyim Muzadi and
\nMuhammadiyah's Syafii Maarif and scholar Nurcholish Madjid, he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Moreover, Rizal said the growth of extremist discourse was not
\nwithout a countermovement from within the Muslim community.<\/p>\n
The challenge included the establishment of the Liberal Islam
\nNetwork (JIL) by a number of young moderate Muslim thinkers led
\nby Ulil Absar Abdalla from the 40-million strong NU.
\nRelated story on Page 2<\/p>",
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