Pluralism within Islam<\/p>\n
After Indonesia's success in hosting an interfaith dialog
\ninvolving 39 Asian and European countries in Bali last week, the
\nnation would do well to address a no less pressing issue at home:
\npromoting an intra-faith dialog, more specifically among
\ndifferent Muslim groups. The predominantly conservative
\nIndonesian Ulema Council (MUI) is about to close the door on any
\nfurther dialog in the search for truth if it goes ahead with
\nissuing a fatwa (edict) that would effectively ban liberal
\ninterpretations of Islam.<\/p>\n
We already know how destructive some MUI fatwas can be.<\/p>\n
Last week's mob violence against the followers of Ahmadiyah in
\nParung south of Jakarta was prompted by a fatwa that does not
\nrecognize the sect, which has it origins in what is now Pakistan,
\nas Islam. Police stood by while the attack by some 10,000 people
\nwas taking place. Later, police escorted the Ahmadiyah followers
\nto leave the sect's compound in Parung, \"for their own safety\"
\nand thus virtually closed down the complex.<\/p>\n
In May, police arrested Yusman Roy, a preacher in the East
\nJava town of Malang for conducting bilingual prayers (in
\nIndonesian and Arabic) with his followers. Police acted upon an
\nMUI fatwa that says the practice was causing public unrest.<\/p>\n
In both these instances, the public unrest was the reason that
\nprompted the police action rather than the practices that the MUI
\nfound objectionable. And in both these instances, we know that
\nthe unrest was caused by the fatwa rather than the practices.<\/p>\n
The authorities were right in not acting upon the MUI fatwas
\nthat demanded the outlawing of Ahmadiyah and the bilingual
\nprayers. The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and
\nfreedom to practice our faith. The government has no right to
\nregulate what we believe in or how we practice our belief, so
\nlong as we do not violate any laws. Neither Ahmadiyah nor Yusman
\nwere breaking any state laws, no matter what the MUI says.<\/p>\n
But the authorities were dead wrong in not coming to the
\ndefense of the Ahmadiyah followers and Yusman and his followers.
\nInstead, in the first case, the police stood and watched, and in
\nthe second, they detained Yusman Roy.<\/p>\n
The state has a duty not only to guarantee the right of people
\nto practice their religion, but also to protect them against
\nothers who try to stop them. The government passed the first
\ntest, but miserably failed the second.<\/p>\n
Given these two recent episodes, we can only speculate about
\nthe fate of those Muslim thinkers -- who, in recent years, have
\nbeen challenging the conservative\/literal interpretations of
\nIslam -- if MUI goes ahead with its fatwa outlawing what it
\nconveniently terms liberal Muslims.<\/p>\n
The threat to issue such a fatwa emerged during the ongoing
\nMUI congress. Sadly, as the umbrella organization for all Islamic
\norganizations in the country, the council fails to reflect the
\ndiversity of Islam that exists in Indonesia. Instead, going by
\nthe fatwas they have issued, MUI is looking more like an
\nexclusive club of conservative leaders and thinkers. And it is a
\nclub the violates one of the main principles of Islam that says
\n\"there shall be no coercion in matters of faith.\"<\/p>\n
Still, in public forums, including in the op-ed pages of this
\nnewspaper, we know there has continued to be a raging debate
\nbetween the conservative and liberal Muslim thinkers in recent
\nyears. Such a discourse has been fruitful for the Muslim
\ncommunity in this country in the search for truth. It has also
\nbrought forward the realization that while Muslims believe in one
\nGod, in one holy book and that Muhammad is their last prophet,
\nthere can be more than one interpretation of Islam. This is why
\nthis intra-faith dialog has been spiritually enriching,
\nespecially for the followers of the religion.<\/p>\n
Sadly, this dialog would be discontinued if the conservatives
\nin MUI had their way. \"Truth\" would then be the monopoly of one
\ngroup of people. Muslims would be all the poorer if that is the
\ncase. And the real message that the MUI is sending out is that if
\nMuslims cannot hold a dialog between themselves, then what chance
\nis there for the interfaith dialogs, something that the
\ngovernment is trying to promote at home, regionally and
\ninternationally.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pluralism-within-islam-1447893297",
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