Hardship 'driving people to violence'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Economic hardships have driven people to such
\ndesperation that many are ignoring the Ramadhan fasting month
\ntenet of self-control, scholars agreed on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Alwi Shihab, Syafii Maarif and Ignas Kleden spoke separately
\nto The Jakarta Post about outbursts of violence which have
\noccurred in many parts of the country during the fasting month.<\/p>\n
Friction among the political elite, a poor performance by the
\ngovernment, a lack of understanding among different religions and
\na large gap between the haves and have-nots are all contributors
\nto the continuing violence, Alwi said.<\/p>\n
Alwi, however, believed that the fasting month of Ramadhan has
\nseen less violence compared to previous months. Alwi was speaking
\non the sidelines of a discussion on national reconciliation.<\/p>\n
This year's Ramadhan has, however, seen an unprecedented
\namount of violence across the country even though students, much
\nattacked for plans to continue rallies during the holy month,
\nhave so far complied with demands to temporarily halt their
\nstreet protests.<\/p>\n
The latest riot, which occurred on Saturday in Karawang, West
\nJava, was sparked by rumors that a motorcycle taxi driver had
\nbeen abused by police. One person was shot dead and at least
\neight others were injured during the rampage.<\/p>\n
Alwi, the dean of the private Paramadinamulya University in
\nJakarta, added that some Muslim leaders had failed to instill
\npeace among the people. Rather than calming the masses they
\nincited people to riot, he said.<\/p>\n
He added that violence could be traced more to economic
\nproblems rather than religious differences.<\/p>\n
In December, riots with religious overtones occurred in
\nKetapang, West Jakarta, in which 14 people were killed and 22
\nchurches were burned and vandalized. This incident was followed
\nby an apparent retaliation attack in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara,
\nwhere mosques and Muslim-owned property were damaged.<\/p>\n
Alwi said that a poor understanding of religious differences
\nwas very dangerous because it often caused followers to become
\neasily provoked.<\/p>\n
\"If riots are still continuing (during Ramadhan), it is
\nbecause of continued hardships and the presence of some
\nprovocateurs,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The situation is worsened by the government's inability to
\nhandle the current complexities, he said.<\/p>\n
\"What happens at the bottom levels (of society) usually
\nreflects the situation at the top levels,\" he said of the current
\nviolence.<\/p>\n
\"If the people believe that the government has failed to find
\na solution to their problems, they will find their own way. This
\nis very dangerous for our country in the future.\"<\/p>\n
Syafii, who is chairman of the Muhammadiyah Muslim
\norganization, pointed to rampant looting in many areas.<\/p>\n
\"Twisted norms and a breakdown in the system lead to people's
\ninsensitivity toward religious values,\" Syafii said on Friday.<\/p>\n
\"That is one of the reasons why outbreaks of unrest continue
\neven during Ramadhan,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He also cited the possibility of certain people masterminding
\nthe ongoing unrest. \"I cannot say who... but it is clear that
\nmany incidents have been engineered based on particular political
\ninterests.\"<\/p>\n
Recent incidents which exploited religious sentiments, such as
\nthe Banyuwangi killing spree, clearly show patterns of an
\norganized movement, he added.<\/p>\n
\"For me, there's no such thing as a religious dispute or
\nunrest,\" Syafii said. \"It is clear that religion here only
\nbecomes an excuse or tool for some parties to exploit.\"<\/p>\n
\"A great number of unemployed people, a worsening economic
\ncrisis, a euphoria over democracy, bureaucratic ills...
\ncombined with... a shortage in the food supply which has lead to
\nstarvation and physical diseases (have) added to people's
\nconfusion and misery.\"<\/p>\n
Syafii added, \"It's almost natural for people under such
\npressures to become violent and impulsive.\"<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Ignas, who is a sociologist, said violence is
\nuniversal and intrinsic in human nature regardless of a person's
\nreligion.<\/p>\n
Tendencies toward violence, he said, usually emerged from a
\nneed to achieve quick results by using force, ignoring religious
\nteachings, laws and norms.<\/p>\n
Ignas said that given \"the personal intimacy\" between a
\nreligion and its followers, any signs of defamation could trigger
\nfeelings of being insulted.<\/p>\n
Worse, he said, there were parties who used religion to
\nprovoke their followers.<\/p>\n
\"No religion condones violence,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Given that violence could be traced to inequitable situations
\nhere in the political, economic, social and cultural spheres, he
\nsaid promoting fairness would help check violence. (29\/edt\/01)<\/p>",
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