Time for int'l meet on jihad<\/p>\n
Hikmat Sanusi, Tangerang<\/p>\n
Prof. Dr. Azyumardi Azra, rector of state Islamic University
\n(UIN), has a very clear vision about the kind of jihad practiced
\nby terrorists. \"They fail to understand that they have failed to
\nconduct the highest form of jihad, which is to control their
\nemotions,\" he said in an interview with ANTV on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Azumardi said he had read the Koran and the Hadith of the
\nProphet Muhammad, but nowhere had he found any teachings that
\nadvocated killing innocent people in the name of Islam. \"So it is
\nthe terrorists' perception of the concept of jihad hat is totally
\nwrong.\"<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Vice President Jusuf Kalla appeared on Metro TV
\nalong with ulema in a special gathering to watch messages that
\nhad been taped by the suicide bombers responsible for the most
\nrecent attack in Bali. The message from these terrorists was
\nclear: The terror they are waging, which they call jihad, is
\nagainst the United States, Britain, Australia and Italy. Osama
\nbin Laden had previously declared several countries, including
\nthose countries, as enemies of Islam.<\/p>\n
The Bali bombers are closely connected to Dr. Azahari, who,
\nalong with Nurdin M. Top, are key figures in Jamaah Islamiyah
\n(JI), which has been classified by the United States as a
\nterrorist organization. Azahari was shot to death by police in a
\nraid in Malang early this month.<\/p>\n
Azumardi is right to say the terrorists are not acting
\naccording to the true religious teachings about jihad, because so
\nmany innocent people, including Muslims, have been killed by the
\nterrorists' bombs. Look at the blast that killed 22 people at the
\nJW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta. The victims were Indonesians and
\nthey were Muslims.<\/p>\n
One of the biggest issues in Indonesia at the moment is how to
\nsynchronize Muslims' perceptions about jihad. Many Muslim leaders
\nhave said that jihad can mean going to war if the context is
\nself-defense.<\/p>\n
But the terror attacks in Indonesia have not been defensive,
\nbut have been randomly offensive and against innocent people. It
\nis therefore urgent for Muslim leaders and organizations from
\nIndonesia and other countries to hold open forums where scholars
\nand religious leaders can discuss and formulate a common
\nperception on jihad and disseminate the results to the rest of
\nthe Muslim world.<\/p>\n
Reaching a consensus on true jihad in the current context is
\nvery important for Indonesia and the rest of the Muslim world
\nbecause this would let the whole world know the true meaning of
\njihad. Apart from that, an international consensus of this kind
\ncould be used as the basis against which Muslims would in the
\nfuture react to any struggle prompted by people who claim to
\nrepresent the religion.<\/p>\n
Recently, the chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), KH Hasyim
\nMuzadi, said that jihad through terrorism was wrong and that a
\ntrue jihad would be something like helping to improve the living
\nstandards of the millions of poor people.<\/p>\n
But as is usually the case, there is a big gap between such a
\nnoble interpretation of jihad and the interpretation of millions
\nof people in Indonesia and the rest of the Muslim world. Even
\namong ulema, diverging perceptions exist on this issue.<\/p>\n
This demonstrates the urgency of synchronizing perceptions on
\nIslamic jihad to the extent that Muslim leaders share a common
\nconcept of jihad.<\/p>\n
The effort of synchronizing perceptions on jihad is itself a
\nbig jihad for Indonesia and the rest of the Muslim world. In
\nother words, before rushing out to do perform jihad to fulfill
\nthe call of the religion, let us begin by comprehending exactly
\nwhat is it that is supposed to be done.<\/p>\n
As home to the world's largest Muslim population, Indonesia
\nhas the responsibility to conduct a jihad to straighten out the
\nidea of jihad. Once that is done, religious leaders can formulate
\na common agenda so the world will know the extent of Islamic
\njihad that will be executed around the world.<\/p>\n
Knowing that Vice President Jusuf Kalla is following the
\ndevelopments very closely, shall we challenge him to pioneer an
\ninternational conference as proposed here? This would further
\nboost his reputation as a man of many hats, of which Indonesia
\ncould be proud.<\/p>\n
Hikmat Sanusi is a student at Columbia Pacific University in
\nSan Rafael, California. He is currently doing research in
\nIndonesia for his master's degree in political science. He can be
\nreached at hikmat@mailpanda.com.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/time-for-intl-meet-on-jihad-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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