RI lacks Islamic intellectual culture: Scholar<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Despite having the largest Moslem population in
\nthe world, Indonesian Moslem intellectuals and their works are
\nstill largely obscure, a noted scholar says.<\/p>\n
Nurcholish Madjid lamented that Indonesia -- despite having a
\npopulation of 200 million and an 87 percent Moslem domination --
\nhad yet to build an \"Islamic intellectual culture\" which compels
\nothers in the world to pay attention.<\/p>\n
Except for the Siraj at-Thalibin (Path for the Students)
\nwritten by K.H. Ihsan from the Jampes Pesantren (boarding school)
\nin Kediri, East Java, virtually no other work of an Indonesian
\nMoslem scholar has became an international source of reference,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Nurcholish, a professor at the Syarif Hidayatullah State
\nInstitute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) and founder of the Paramadina
\ndiscussion group, was speaking at a discussion about the initial
\ndraft of the Ensiklopedi Al-Quran: Kajian Kosa Kata dan Tafsirnya
\n(The Encyclopedia of the Koran: The Study on Vocabulary and
\nInterpretation) here Saturday.<\/p>\n
The discussion -- which invited leading scholars' input on the
\nfirst volume of the first Indonesian encyclopedia on the language
\nof the Koran -- was held at the Bayt Al-Quran (House of the
\nKoran) museum at the Beautiful Indonesia in Miniature Park.<\/p>\n
Nurcholish cited as an example Ihya Ulumuddin by the great
\nMoslem scholar Imam Ghazali of Iran as a reference for anybody
\nwishing to learn Islam.<\/p>\n
\"As a country with the largest Moslem population, Indonesia
\nshould have a meaningful contribution for the world's
\nintellectual arena,\" Nurcholish said. \"It has not (left any mark
\nyet).<\/p>\n
\"Indonesian Moslems are still consumers, and not yet
\nproducers, (of Islamic intellectual works).\"<\/p>\n
One of the reasons for Indonesia's slow start was because
\nIslam entered the nation when its role in world science and
\nknowledge was declining, he said.<\/p>\n
Reviews<\/p>\n
Also yesterday, the scholars gave scathing reviews of the
\ninitial draft of the encyclopedia agreeing that the work lacked
\nthoroughness and was not user-friendly.<\/p>\n
The scholars claim the encyclopedia is thoroughly
\nunsatisfactory because it is not comprehensive and lacks an index
\nand \"how to use\" information.<\/p>\n
Dawam Rahardjo of the Association of Indonesian Moslem
\nIntellectuals (ICMI) said an index is vital in an encyclopedia.<\/p>\n
\"This encyclopedia needs an index and should provide more
\ninformation to readers on how to use the encyclopedia,\" he said.<\/p>\n
A team from the Syarif Hidayatullah State Institute of Islamic
\nStudies (IAIN), led by Quraish Shihab, has completed a draft of
\nthe first of five volumes of the encyclopedia.<\/p>\n
The first volume is 428-pages long with 526 entries arranged
\nalphabetically. The project began two years ago and is being
\nfunded by the Bimantara Foundation.<\/p>\n
The complete series of five volumes is expected to have 1,895
\nentries consisting of 5,000 pages.<\/p>\n
Jalaluddin Rakhmat from Bandung, West Java, shared Dawam's
\nopinion, saying he could not find a foreword giving an
\nexplanation on utilization.<\/p>\n
Nurcholish said the flaws in the initial draft could be fixed.<\/p>\n
\"There are many flaws in the initial draft, but this is
\npioneering work,\" he said, adding the \"the pioneering part is the
\nmost important thing\".<\/p>\n
He said the initiative to compose the encyclopedia was also
\nthe beginning of a new era for Indonesian Moslems to
\nintellectually contribute something to the world's Moslems.
\n(10\/swe)<\/p>",
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