Call for jihad 'may have caused riots'

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)