Muhammadiyah lags behind in producing Islamic thinkers<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Muhammadiyah, one of Indonesia's largest Muslim social
\norganizations, is falling behind when it comes to producing new
\nIslamic thinkers, says a prominent Muslim scholar.<\/p>\n
Dawam Rahardjo said Muhammadiyah concentrated too much on the
\nconcept of amar ma'ruf, nahi mungkar (do good deeds and abandon
\nbad ones), rather than producing new Islamic thinkers.<\/p>\n
The group had also focused too much of its attention on
\npromoting the well-being of its followers, through the
\nestablishment of schools, universities, hospitals, orphanages and
\ncooperatives, he said.<\/p>\n
This came at the expense of teaching Islamic traditions and
\nArabic, both essential for ulama (Islamic scholars) and kyai
\n(Islamic teachers), he said in his lecture titled \"Muhammadiyah
\nand the Growth of Islamic Thought in Indonesia\" presented on
\nFriday night.<\/p>\n
Muhammadiyah is the second largest Islamic group in Indonesia
\nafter Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).<\/p>\n
Established in 1912 in Yogyakarta, it expanded largely in
\nurban areas in Java and Sumatra and became regarded as a force of
\nrenewal and modernization in the Islamic community.<\/p>\n
In contrast, Nahdlatul Ulama, founded in 1926, focused on
\npreserving Islamic traditions. NU is popular in rural Java. One
\nof its most famous contemporary thinkers is former president
\nAbdurrahman Wahid.<\/p>\n
Islamic scholar Nurcholish Madjid, who was present at the
\nlecture, agreed with Dawam, saying that Muhammadiyah could no
\nlonger claim to be a force of renewal.<\/p>\n
Dawam said Muhammadiyah had produced many intellectuals and
\nprofessionals, but not Islamic thinkers in the real sense of the
\nterm.<\/p>\n
\"Young people are studying science rather than classical
\nIslam. As a result, they have failed to grasp the strong currents
\nnow found in Islamic thought,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He conceded that even Nahdlatul Ulama, with its strong
\ntradition embedded in pesantren (boarding schools), was better
\nprepared in dealing with the changes.<\/p>\n
Nahdlatul Ulama made a big leap into the \"post-traditionalist
\nera\", combining Islamic tradition with left-wing thought and
\nliberalism, Dawam said.<\/p>\n
Muhammadiyah, he added, could well emulate Nahdlatul Ulama by
\nestablishing Islamic study centers.<\/p>\n
Muhammadiyah must start developing a more positive attitude
\ntoward tradition, be it Islamic, Western or indigenous.<\/p>\n
It must also develop foreign language centers, which teach not
\nonly Arabic but other foreign languages widely used in the
\nIslamic world as well as the rest of the world.<\/p>\n
Dawam proposed that Muhammadiyah develop ideas based on
\nrelations between religion and the state, between Islam and
\ndemocracy, between divine revelation and science, between Islamic
\nand Western cultures and about pluralism governing relations
\nbetween religious communities.<\/p>\n
Muhammadiyah's Hall of fame<\/p>\n
Past:
\nAhmad Dahlan,
\nMas Mansyur,
\nA.R. Sutan Mansyur,
\nKi Bagus Hadikusumo,
\nDjarnawi Hadikusumo,
\nSyeh Abdul Karim Amrullah,
\nAbdul Malik Karim Amrullah,
\nAbdul Malik Ahmad,
\nZainal Abidin Ahmad,
\nA.R. Baswedan,
\nAzhar Ahmad Basir,
\nM. Yunus Anis.<\/p>\n
Present:
\nAhmad Syafii Ma'arif,
\nMalik Fadjar,
\nHaedar Nasir,
\nDawam Rahardjo.<\/p>",
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