Amien calls for unification of religious communities

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Islamic socioeducational organization Muhammadiyah chairman Amien Rais has called for unification of religious communities to help guide the government.

Speaking at a discussion called "Dialog among Religious Communities in the Context of Indonesian Culture: Is there Violence among Religions?" here Wednesday, Amien said religious communities had a moral obligation to articulate and eliminate any differences which led to violence.

The discussion, sponsored by the Duta Wacana Christian University, was attended by intellectuals and religious figures from across the archipelago.

He said Faisal Ismail of the Moslem Nahdlatul Ulama organization, Javanese cultural expert R.S. Subalidinata, historian P.J. Soewarno and Father Mudji Sutrisno also attended.

Amien, a member of the Association of Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI) known for his outspokenness, said the government had set the conditions which caused civilians to act violently when struggling for their rights.

Amien made newspaper headlines when he resigned as the chairman of ICMI board of experts on Feb. 24 this year following his statements on the controversial Busang gold mine on Jan. 10.

"The recent violence and brutalities did not stem from religious conflict, even though religion was frequently used as a symbol of protest. The violence was more like explosions which were caused by social, economic and political conflicts. Yet religion, accused of being a divisive force, intolerant and a creator of exclusivism, was said to be the cause of the violence," he said.

Amien said that by making religion a scapegoat, the government had managed to divert people's attention from injustice and despotism.

"Religious figures need moral courage to pinpoint the root of the problem," said Amien.

He said it was important to identify the real reasons behind the trend for violence and find ways for the people to cope with those reasons.

"Proper management of nonviolent infrastructure, such as a representation system in politics and a reliable legal system, are some of the ways to curb violence," said the Gadjah Mada University lecturer. "In this case we need a rigorous analysis oriented toward solving the problem."

The Indonesian Communion of Churches chairman, Sularso Sopater, said religious communities should contribute ideas to uplift people's visions on peace and harmony to prevent violence.

"In a developing nation, every problem such as poverty, injustice and other social ills should be solved at an early stage by all levels of society," said the clergyman. (mun/23/sur)