Democracy will ease radicalism, analysts say<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Religious fundamentalism has found fertile socio-political
\ngrounds over the past year as marked by radical groups like the
\nIslamic Defense Front (FPI) and Jihad Force, Islamic analysts
\nsay.<\/p>\n
They said in a year-end review that the upwards trend would
\ncontinue next year but these so called non-mainstream Islam would
\nbe more moderate, particularly if the groups were allowed to take
\npart in the democratization process.<\/p>\n
\"There is nothing to worry about such a phenomenon because
\nradicalism will subside in line with the democratization
\nprocess,\" said Ulil Abshar Abdala of the Indonesian Conference on
\nReligions and Peace (ICRP).<\/p>\n
The hard-liners were aware that they could win public sympathy
\nif they moderated their views, according to Ulil.<\/p>\n
The \"mainstream Islamic groups\" usually refers to the
\ncountry's largest Muslim organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama and
\nMuhammadiyah, whose main missions are in social, educational and
\nreligious development.<\/p>\n
Radical groups like Laskar Jihad, FPI and the Indonesian
\nIslamic Youths Movement (GPII) are known for high-profile
\nactivities such as raiding entertainment venues, holding street
\ndemonstrations against the U.S., sending militia to areas of
\nconflict and threatening to expel Westerners in the wake of U.S.
\nattacks on Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
During the autocratic New Order regime of president Soeharto,
\nsome Islamic groups, including mainstream organizations, aspired
\nto turn Indonesia into an Islamic state.<\/p>\n
Ulil said that after Soeharto's downfall in 1998, followed by
\nmore democratic conditions, the groups abandoned their wish to
\nestablish an Islamic state and turned to a more realistic
\napproach in pursuing their agenda of making Indonesia Islamic.<\/p>\n
\"Their idea is no longer how to establish an Islamic state,
\nbut how their presence and their ideas were accommodated by the
\npublic,\" said Ulil, a scholar from Nahdlatul Ulama.<\/p>\n
Therefore, he suggested that leaders of the groups should be
\ninvited to take part in various socio-political discussions and
\nexchange views with people from outside their community.<\/p>\n
Syamsuddin Haris of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences
\n(LIPI) also agreed that the groups should be invited to take part
\nin the democratization process as it was the only way to make the
\nradical groups realize that their ideas were against the
\nmainstream.<\/p>\n
The current transitional period between authoritarian and
\ndemocratic systems, Syamsuddin said, was a fertile ground for
\nradical groups to show off their existence.<\/p>\n
\"In an established civil society, I do not think that the
\ngroups can exist and be acceptable in the society,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Syamsuddin said that what many people were unaware of was that
\nthe radical groups could be used by political interest groups to
\nhelp achieve their agendas.<\/p>\n
\"Those who join the radical groups are mostly young Muslims
\nwho have no clear ideology, therefore they are easily used for
\ncertain missions,\" Syamsuddin told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/democracy-will-ease-radicalism-analysts-say-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}