Putting the terrorists out of business<\/p>\n
Ahmad Syafii Maarif, Chairman, Muhammadiyah, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Few realize that a new Islamic civilization will remain a
\nutopia if the Muslims have not changed its attitude towards a
\npositive, creative, and dynamic one in coping with the world
\nmarked by rapid change.<\/p>\n
When such problems are matched with the unfortunate place of
\nIslam in the psychological realm of the West, the seeds for
\nmisunderstandings and mutual opposition would continue to bloom.
\nIslam is still, and increasingly so following Sept. 11, primarily
\nframed in terms such as militant Islam, fundamentalist Islam,
\nIslamic bombs, Islamic fanatics, or Islamic terrorism.<\/p>\n
Despite unlimited access to information facilitated by the
\nrevolution in information technology, Islam strangely remains
\nlargely unknown to the West, even among educated minds.<\/p>\n
The unfortunate remarks by Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi,
\nwho claimed Western civilization far more superior than that of
\nIslam, clearly demonstrate the magnitude of this problem.<\/p>\n
As a scholar has aptly noted, \"Today we are witnessing the
\ncreation of a new myth. The impeding confrontation between Islam
\nand the West is presented as part of an historical pattern of
\nMuslim belligerency and aggression.\"<\/p>\n
Indeed, the growing disenfranchisement, resentment, and
\ndespair among some Muslims and the continuing reluctance to
\nlearning and understanding more about Islam in some quarters in
\nthe West proves to be mutually reinforcing in a negative way. It
\nis like adding the dry grass to the fire.<\/p>\n
The resurgence of Islamic movements in many parts of the
\nMuslim world should be understood within this context. Indeed, it
\nhas been pointed out that the basic concerns of past Muslim
\nleaders and thinkers -- such as Abu A'la Maududi and Muhammad
\nIqbal in Pakistan, Muhammad Abduh and Hassan Al-Bana in Egypt,
\nand Ali Shariati in Iran -- \"were how to solve the pervasive
\nsense of disenfranchisement that engulfed ordinary Muslims as
\nthey grappled with the forces of change.\"<\/p>\n
Such concerns remain at the core of the struggle for justice.
\nIt is also the concern of millions of Muslims in Southeast Asia,
\nespecially in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, when the economy collapsed, more than 45 million
\nwere forced to live under the poverty line, not to mention tens
\nof million others lived just on the poverty line.<\/p>\n
Uneven economic development, and the inability of the state to
\ncope with negative effects of globalization, has set the context
\nfor the radicalization.<\/p>\n
Greater attention to religious radicalism in Indonesia began
\nwhen a few hundred people, under the banner of Islam, took to the
\nstreets amid the impeding America's plan to attack Afghanistan, a
\npoor country accused of harboring terrorists.<\/p>\n
It is important not to equate \"radicalism\" with \"terrorism.\"
\nWhile the former refers to a set of attitude and ways to express
\nit, the latter clearly embraces criminal acts for political
\npurposes. Radicalism may or may not turn into terrorism.
\nRadicalism is an intra-religious problem that should be dealt
\nwith by the Muslim community itself.<\/p>\n
Terrorism is a global phenomenon that requires a global effort
\nto combat it. And, such efforts should not be linked to any
\nreligion. Terrorism is simply a despicable criminal act,
\ncommitted by evil people against humanity.<\/p>\n
Muhammadiyah, the second largest Muslim organization in
\nIndonesia, has set for itself the task of revealing the real face
\nof Islam and its adherents in Indonesia as the most populous
\nMuslim country in the world. Radical and extremist Islam is a
\nsmall minority within the entire Muslim population numbering 190
\nmillions adherents.<\/p>\n
It is also equally important, however, to understand why
\nradicalism emerged in Indonesia and elsewhere. In Indonesia, most
\nof those people are energetic and impatient youth who no longer
\ntrust the corrupt government system and impotent legal and
\nsecurity apparatus.<\/p>\n
They are also sick of hypocrisy among political leaders. They
\nwant instant change and abrupt action to stop any irregularities
\nin society. The attacks by these groups on gambling houses and
\nentertainment centers clearly reflect a degree of moral concern
\nin the absence of strict law enforcement by the state.<\/p>\n
A common thread among most these groups is that they are
\nreactions to contemporary social and economic problems. They,
\nhowever, do not equip themselves with intellectual instruments to
\narticulate their ideas in a civil way.<\/p>\n
Their actions might appear fruitful but certainly not in the
\nlong-term. Militancy is always dangerous as it always views
\nthings through black and white lenses. Moreover, such radical and
\nmilitant actions could harm the image of Islam as a peace-loving
\nreligion that preaches tolerance and civil ways of solving
\nproblems.<\/p>\n
For Muslims the world over, the issue is not whether Islam
\nshould oppose globalization or accept it. The real issue is how
\nto manage globalization so that its positive aspects can be
\nmaximized and the negative ones minimized.<\/p>\n
Yusuf Qardhawi, a leading Muslim scholar, has noted that Islam
\nshould take a middle way -- taking the positive sides of
\nglobalization, and leaving its negative ones.<\/p>\n
The failed development policies of the pro-globalization
\nregimes, endemic corruption, structural poverty, bad governance
\nand crisis of legitimacy serve as the root cause for the growth
\nof radicalism among the urban and lower classes.<\/p>\n
As challenges confronting both the Islamic community and the
\nWest are rapidly becoming more complex due to globalization, both
\nsides must initiate a joint effort to search for the pathways.<\/p>\n
A number of points need to be stressed. First, this endeavor
\nrequires a strong political will on both sides to see the merits
\nof constructive engagement with each other in order to forge a
\ncooperative peaceful co-existence.<\/p>\n
That would require harder work to establish mutual
\nunderstanding and mutual respect, through a reinterpretation of
\nhistory of relationship between the two. History has been too
\noften used and abused to sustain mutual suspicion and enmity on
\nboth sides.<\/p>\n
Second, Islam and the West should begin to work harder
\ntogether to address globalization. Both parties should eliminate
\ninjustice, poverty, prejudices, discrimination, and all forms of
\nevil acts.<\/p>\n
Of course, there are those who do not believe in dialog. In
\nthe West, the resistance to dialog is clearly exemplified in such
\nremarks that claims \"the West will continue to conquer peoples,
\neven if it means a confrontation with another civilization,
\nIslam, firmly entrenched where it was 1,400 years ago.\" And as
\nYusuf Qhardhawi has admitted, \"there are Muslim extremists who
\nclaim that there are no common ground between us and Christians
\nand Jews.\"<\/p>\n
Third, a world of different streams of culture and
\ncivilizations should not, and need not, be resisted. Plurality,
\nand civil ways in managing differences within that plurality,
\nwould demonstrate the true meaning of civilization. Difference is
\nto be celebrated as the object of creation itself.<\/p>\n
Four, a better and more fruitful way towards the future lies
\nin the willingness of both Islam and the West to move beyond the
\ncurrent impasse in their understanding of each other.<\/p>\n
It is no longer enough to decry what one is against. The time
\nhas come to craft specific and concrete plans to build a bridge
\nbetween the Muslim world and the West.<\/p>\n
The West and the Rest should move beyond their preoccupation
\nwith the notion of Islam as a \"threat\" or \"terror\" and be
\nprepared to see and understand Islam with all its complexity and
\nplurality.<\/p>\n
As Edward Said has said, \"demonization of the Other is not a
\nsufficient basis for any kind of decent politics, certainly not
\nnow when the roots of terror in injustice can be addressed, and
\nthe terrorists isolated, deterred or put out of business.\"<\/p>\n
The above is an excerpt of the writer's address to the
\nTrilateral Commission Meeting in Washington, D.C. which took
\nplace on April 5 to April 8.<\/p>",
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