Anti-Mega 'fatwa' rued, called misuse of religion

Anti-Mega 'fatwa' rued, called misuse of religion

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta/Yogyakarta

Political observers expressed discontent on Friday with a group
of Muslim clerics, who they said, misused religious teachings to
discriminate against a political candidate based on gender.

Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) acting chairman Masdar Faried Mas'udi
said the country's largest Muslim organization had ordered all
its clerics through the issuance of an edict (fatwa) to vote
against any woman candidate in the upcoming election. Incumbent
Megawati Soekarnoputri is the only woman in the race.

"NU does not support particular presidential candidates. We
also ban the use of religion to discriminate against presidential
candidates on the basis of their gender or ethnicity," Masdar
told The Jakarta Post.

A number of senior NU clerics from East Java, including
Abdullah Faqih of Langitan in Tuban, Chotib Umar of Jember and
Chamid Abdul Manan of Madura, issued an edict on Thursday that
forbids Muslims from voting for a female candidate in the July 5
presidential election.

The edict has been viewed as a positive development for the
presidential and vice presidential candidates under the banner of
the Golkar Party, Wiranto and Solahuddin Wahid, at the expense of
Megawati Soekarnoputri and her running mate Hasyim Muzadi who
were nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI-P).

Hasyim has been non-active as NU chairman, while Solahuddin
has resigned as NU deputy chairman due to their new political
adventures.

The ulemas cited a verse in the Koran that stipulates that
"men are leaders of women" and a verse in hadits (Prophet
Muhammad's tradition) saying that a nation will be far from happy
under a woman leader.

Masdar said the verses suggest that men protect women and no
king or queen is entitled to absolute power.

"We should also take the social and historical contexts into
account. A president is not like a king or queen. We will clarify
the edict with the clerics," he said.

He recounted that NU issued a decree in a congress in Lombok,
West Nusa Tenggara in 1998, which stipulated that both men and
women had an equal right to lead the country.

The decree also stated that a leader should be judged based on
his or her capability and acceptability.

Separately, noted Muslim scholar Azyumardi Azra regretted the
issuance of the edict, saying that it would create tension among
NU members.

"The edict will create friction in the NU. It's regrettable,"
Azyumardi, who is also rector of the Syarief Hidayatullah State
Islamic University, said in a workshop in Yogyakarta on Friday.

Even the National Awakening Party (PKB), which is endorsing
Wiranto-Solahuddin, opposed the edict.

PKB deputy chairman Mahfud M.D. said his party would not take
advantage of the edict because it was against the use of the
gender issue to discriminate against certain candidates.

"Although the edict might benefit our candidates, we will not
use it to woo support," Mahfud said.

PDI-P secretary general Soetjipto said on Friday the edict
would not significantly affect the performance of Megawati and
Hasyim in the July 5 election.

"Megawati has frequently been insulted by her rivals. It,
however, will never affect people's respect for her. I believe
the edict will not hurt our performance in the election,"
Soetjipto said after a campaign rally in Jakarta.

He said the issue of a female leader had split Muslims,
including NU. He added that there were other NU ulemas who issued
an edict in support of a woman president.