Call for jihad 'may have caused riots'

Riots have broken out in small towns in Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi allegedly due to scarcity and surging prices of staple commodities. Masdar F. Mas'udi, director of the Indonesian Society for Pesantren and Community Development, discusses the possible reasons behind the riots.

Question: Why have the recent riots occurred in small towns where the majority of the population are Moslem?

Masdar: I am afraid Moslem villagers have rioted and attacked local shops in response to last week's call by the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) for jihad (holy war) against speculators and hoarders of staple commodities in an effort to protect the country from political and economic pressures. Riots did occur before the call but more riots have occurred afterwards, in a number of locations. Rioters reportedly attacked local hoarders of staple commodities -- an action called for by the MUI. If that is the case, the MUI must be held morally responsible for the riots.

Q: Why did the MUI use the term jihad for the fight against speculators and hoarders? Jihad is actually a religious term for a holy war aimed at defending religious interests.

M: I think the MUI just picked the word to ignite the enthusiasm of Moslems in fighting speculators and hoarders.

Q: Why didn't the MUI not call for a jihad against parties involved in corruption and collusion, who are partly responsible for the current economic crisis?

M: Because the MUI leaders were standing in the same row as the political powers, the jihad was targeted at parties whose actions might affect the interests of the government. The government is on close terms with the MUI and the jihad, therefore, must be in line with the wishes of the government.

This is actually a problem in the critical awareness of social and political affairs. Religion should have been used to pressurize those in power to fulfill their obligations to the people. However, some religious preachers have apparently taken the side of the elite and are pressuring the people to fulfill obligations to the government.

Q: Did the rioters merely want an adequate supply of staple commodities, or did they also desire a change in political conditions?

M: Rural Moslems, including those grouped in the largest Moslem organization Nahdlatul Ulama, have a simple view in politics. The most important thing for them is that their rights, particularly religious rights, are not disturbed. So long as the government upholds their rights it is regarded as good. So, if staple goods are adequately supplied, prices are set properly and they are allowed to do business, they will stop rioting. They will not relate the economic difficulties with political changes.

Q: Do Moslems in urban areas have the same political view as their rural companions?

M: Moslems in urban areas have a more advanced view in politics. They consider the government is good as long as it serves the people. But the usefulness is symbolic and formal. A government, therefore, is regarded as useful if it builds mosques and organizes Islamic gatherings.

Moslems, particularly religion leaders, in both urban and rural areas share an idea that political power is sacred and that political power comes from God. Power holders are regarded as representatives of God. This devotion, surely loved by the powerful, could clearly be seen in the prayers of ulemas at a recent politically related Islamic gathering at Senayan, Central Jakarta. In their prayers, they said "God, you give kingdom to whom you want and you lift kingdom from whom you want."

Q: Is that why Indonesian Moslems want the current government leaders to continue leading for the next five years?

M: Developments at the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) have shown that. The Moslem-dominated PPP and the ruling Golkar party, whose majority are Moslem, for example, have re-nominated the incumbent President Soeharto for the next five-year term because he thus far has shown symbolic usefulness for Islam. MPR factions have also nominated State Minister for Research and Technology B.J. Habibie for the vice presidency because he shows promise in terms of symbolic benefits.

Ulemas who are vocal and active in social activities generally support the leadership status quo, while those who are quiet are generally concerned about the current political situation.

Q: But Muhammadiyah Chairman Amien Rais has won support from various parties outside the MPR in his moral drive for the presidency. How do you explain that?

M: Amien is a new phenomenon among Moslems. He represents a group of educated Moslems who have intensive contact with grassroots people. This group wants substantive, not symbolic, usefulness from the government. According to this group, substantive usefulness of a government includes justice, democracy, transparency, clean governance and strong commitment to people's interests.

Q: What kind of cabinet do Moslems generally want to see?

M: They generally want the next cabinet to include Moslems who can symbolically display their Islamic character. This is actually a dangerous phenomenon which may come back to haunt the Islamic community. If Moslem cabinet members did not observe Islamic teachings and instead violated the laws of Islam through engaging in corruption and collusion, there could possibly be a bitter backlash. (riz)