JP\/7\/NEW<\/p>\n
Amy Chew, New Straits Times, Kuala Lumpur<\/p>\n
Armed with sticks and stones, hundreds of Indonesian Muslim
\nextremists descended on the Ahmadiyah, a small peaceful Muslim
\ngroup in Bogor, West Java, in July.<\/p>\n
The attackers set fire to the women's dormitory and knocked
\ndown a gate fronting the Ahmadiyah complex as its followers
\nlooked on helplessly. Some 300 policemen were on guard but failed
\nto prevent the attack.<\/p>\n
Shortly after, Emilia Renita, 38, a Shia Muslim in Jakarta
\nstarted receiving threatening messages on her mobile phone
\nsaying: \"Shias are deviant. Their blood is halal.\"<\/p>\n
\"I was shocked. I am Muslim and yet I am threatened. What more
\nfor those who are non-Muslims?\" she said.<\/p>\n
The surge in radicalism was partly triggered by 11 decrees
\nissued in July by the official Council of Indonesian Ulamas (MUI)
\nwhich banned the Ahmadiyah, liberalism, pluralism and secularism
\nas anti-Islam.<\/p>\n
That the violence unfolded in the capital Jakarta and its
\nsatellite towns, and not in conservative villages far from the
\ninfluence of modern progress, raises concerns over the erosion of
\ntolerance in a country known for its moderation and pluralism.<\/p>\n
\"These radicals are spreading hatred against people who are of
\ndifferent beliefs -- Muslims who believe in an Islam which is
\ndifferent from theirs, which is Wahhabism. Minorities and non-
\nMuslims are treated as though they don't have a right to exist,\"
\nsaid former student activist Syafik Alielha.<\/p>\n
\"They threaten the existence of Indonesia as a state of
\nBhinneka Tunggal Ika which means unity in diversity,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The refined culture and respect for elders, teachers,
\nintellectuals and foreigners -- characteristics which define the
\nfinest in Indonesian identity -- are also under siege from the
\nradicals.<\/p>\n
When respected and fatherly Muslim scholar Dawam Rahardjo, 63,
\nsaid at a recent seminar that absolute truth lies with God and
\nnot with man and that all else should be viewed as relative
\ntruth, young members of the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI)
\nshouted and threatened to beat him up.<\/p>\n
Never before had the young shown so little respect for a man
\nwho has dedicated his life to educating the young. Rahardjo is
\nthe rector of the Islamic University 45 of Bekasi.<\/p>\n
So far, the radicals have targeted moderate, liberal and non-
\nSunni Muslims.<\/p>\n
Ahmadiyah, which previously existed peacefully with other
\nMuslims, is considered deviant as its followers believe their
\nfounder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, is the successor to the Prophet
\nMuhammad.<\/p>\n
Christians have also been targeted. From April to September,
\n16 churches in Greater Jakarta were forcibly shut down by
\nradicals. These churches are housed in shophouses and private
\nhomes.<\/p>\n
The authorities have done little to prevent the attacks or
\ntake action against the radicals, emboldening them further.<\/p>\n
\"The government is afraid,\" said former President Abdurrahman
\nWahid who is also a Muslim ulama.<\/p>\n
\"Why should the government be scared of the extremists when in
\nfact they are only a small group,\" said Abdurrahman, who is
\naffectionately known as Gus Dur.<\/p>\n
He headed the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul
\nUlama, for 15 years before stepping down in 1999 to assume the
\npresidency. NU claims 40 million followers and is known as the
\nface of moderate Islam.<\/p>\n
The government appears to be hesitant and uncertain about how
\nto deal with the situation, fearing a backlash from the Muslim
\nmajority.<\/p>\n
The Liberal Islam Network (JIL) says the radicals' newfound
\nboldness reflects the growing conservatism in segments of the
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
\"They (in government) are not liberal. They are liberal and
\nmodern in other matters but when it comes to religion, they are
\nconservative,\" said Hamid Basyaib, JIL's coordinator.<\/p>\n
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's response to the situation
\nhas been to order his Minister of Religious Affairs, Maftuh
\nBasyuni, to look into the matter while stressing that the
\nConstitution guarantees religious freedom. But that has failed to
\nstop the radicals.<\/p>\n
\"We are disappointed the government has not taken any measures
\nto stop them (radicals) from committing violence,\" said Ulil
\nAbshar Abdalla, JIL's founder.<\/p>\n
A senior police source told the New Straits Times that some
\nsenior officials occupying strategic positions in the
\nadministration were conservative and reluctant to act firmly
\nagainst the radicals.<\/p>\n
\"They are people who are for a state based on sharia and
\ntherefore are not inclined toward taking a firm stance against
\nthe radicals,\" said the police source.<\/p>\n
JIL is a network of moderate Muslim scholars and intellectuals
\nthat promotes tolerance and liberalism and highlights the
\npeaceful and tolerant aspect of Islam.<\/p>\n
The group is small in size, but big in name and influence. Its
\nmembers are regular columnists in the country's major newspapers
\nand are often invited to speak in local and international forums.<\/p>\n
Their liberal and moderate views are deemed to run counter to
\nthe MUI's decrees.<\/p>\n
Moderate Muslims believe radicalism needs to be dealt with now
\nto prevent it spreading and deepening.<\/p>\n
To counter the radicals requires concerned Muslims, the
\ngovernment and moderate Muslim leaders to speak to the populace
\nat large.<\/p>\n
\"At the government level, it needs to take steps to stop the
\nviolence in society and we must admit that violence is committed
\nby certain groups who claim to be Muslims,\" said Ulil.<\/p>\n
\"The second part is that Muslim leaders have to tell the
\npeople clearly that non-violence is a very important principle in
\nIslam, that rationality is an important virtue and civilized life
\nis a precious thing we should struggle for,\" he said.<\/p>\n
While the majority of Muslims do not support the radicals and
\nthe chances of their numbers growing to a huge mass is slim, they
\nare politically well-connected.<\/p>\n
And therein lies their greatest strength, which could well
\ndetermine their influence in the country and ultimately the fate
\nof this nation.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has stood out in Southeast Asia as the country which
\nwaged a bloody and relentless battle to gain independence from
\nthe Dutch in 1945.<\/p>\n
The war was won with Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists
\nfighting side by side, diverse but united and ultimately
\nvictorious.<\/p>\n
After 60 years of nationhood, it should be easier for everyone
\nto live together in harmony. But as recent events have shown,
\nIndonesia now faces a crucial battle to defend its way of life.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp7new-1447899208",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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