Exclusivity is not our doctrine: LDII<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Leaders of the Indonesian Institute of Islamic Propagation (LDII)
\nsaid that exclusivity was not part of their doctrine as suggested
\nby a table published in The Jakarta Post on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Such a perception would likely stem, among other things, from
\nbehavior displayed by organization members \"whose understanding
\nof the teachings has not matured,\" one of the leaders said when
\nvisiting the Post on Friday, along with other board members.<\/p>\n
\"It is such members who we are educating,\" said Aceng
\nKarimulloh, a deputy LDII Jakarta branch leader and among the
\nulema from the organization.<\/p>\n
LDII chairman Teddy Suratmaji, an engineer, said such a
\nmisperception could have resulted from the \"stigma\" contributed
\nby members of Islam Jamaah, an exclusivist and hard-line movement
\nwell known in the late 1970s, which later developed into the
\nLDII.<\/p>\n
Islam Jamaah was closely scrutinized by the government
\nfollowing reports that its followers considered non-members as
\ninfidel or kafir, even though they were from the same family.<\/p>\n
Nowadays, the LDII organization, which is legal, \"has no
\nconnection\" with Islam Jamaah, according to its official
\nhandbook. Information on LDII can also be viewed at
\nwww.ldii.or.id. The handbook addresses all \"frequently asked
\nquestions\" related to perceptions of Islam Jamaah and LDII.<\/p>\n
Teddy displayed pictures of LDII's activities in their
\nbimonthly magazine, Nuansa Persada, which depicted its
\ninteraction with various Islamic groups, \"which could not be
\npossible if we were exclusivist,\" Teddy said, denying that they
\ndid not pray with non-members.<\/p>\n
Nor it was true that each member must pay 10 percent of their
\nincome to the imam, they said.<\/p>\n
Perceptions that LDII members consider non-members as filth
\n(najis) was also denied.<\/p>\n
\"In the 1970s, it was commonly accepted that people of
\ndifferent sexes who were not muhrim (directly related) could not
\ntouch each other,\" board member R. Sabaruddin said, \"so maybe
\npeople got the idea that non-members were considered najis. But
\nnow this practice is \"common\" among many Muslims in the country.<\/p>\n
The logo of LDII, which claims to be independent, clearly
\nbears the banyan tree, symbol of former president Soeharto's
\npolitical vehicle Golkar, which sought all potential avenues to
\nincrease its control and influence.<\/p>\n
They said that they had intended to change the logo, but faced
\nresistance from older members.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/exclusivity-is-not-our-doctrine-ldii-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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