Give Permadi a fair chance: Scholars

Give Permadi a fair chance: Scholars

By Santi WE Soekanto

JAKARTA (JP): As pressures mount to prosecute psychic Permadi
Satrio Wiwoho for his alleged blasphemous and libelous remarks,
two Moslem leaders and a human rights official have joined the
minority chorus calling for a cessation of hostilities.

Marzuki Darusman, a member of the National Commission for
Human Rights, Komarudin Hidayat and Nurcholish Madjid, both
modernist Moslem scholars, said that enough ammunition has been
fired against Permadi these last several weeks.

Interviewed separately, the three men said it is now time for
the public's anger to let up. Otherwise, they may be driven by
that anger to violate Permadi's individual rights.

"We should all remember to give Permadi his due rights, we
should never be dzalim," Komarudin said, referring to the Islamic
term for cruelty. "We should act proportionately, and give him a
fair chance to defend himself."

"Enough has been said already," Nurcholish asserted. "It's
time for all of us to calm down. Let's just live and learn not to
repeat history."

Marzuki pointed out that the soothsayer's rights are protected
by law, including the right to be presumed innocent until proven
guilty, Marzuki said.

Marzuki and Nurcholish said they agreed with Amien Rais,
chairman of the Muhammadiyah Moslem organization who recently
said that the case has been "politicized" out of proportion by
certain groups.

"The public has punished Permadi, probably because they're
driven by outrage and because there are political factors coming
into play here," Marzuki said.

Permadi got into trouble following an accusation by Din
Syamsudin, a Golkar leader as well as a Moslem scholar, that he
made blasphemous remarks at a seminar in Yogyakarta last year.

He also allegedly made slanderous remarks about Golkar and
some government agencies during a radio interview early this
year. His critics said he likened Golkar to the outlawed
Indonesian Communist Party, and accused the Ministry of Religious
Affairs of corruption.

The uproar that followed, led by several Moslem leaders as
well as groups of Moslem youths affiliated to Golkar, forced
Permadi to turn himself in to the authorities last month. Police
said they have completed their investigation and will submit the
dossier to the prosecutors office this week.

The latest attack came from a top military officer who accused
Permadi of engaging in clandestine activities and of attempting
to undermine the government.

The observers believe that many Moslems' anger over the
alleged blasphemy is justified, but still called for fairness and
mercifulness.

Permadi is accused of calling Prophet Muhammad a dictator and
a failure in creating a just and prosperous Moslem society during
his leadership. Permadi said his remarks were taken out of
context and manipulated by his critics.

Komarudin, however, believes there is nothing wrong with
people examining Prophet Muhammad's leadership scientifically and
historically.

He reminded Moslems offended by Permadi, that, in addition to
his being a religious leader, Prophet Muhammad was also a
historical figure, someone who lived "under the full light of
history".

"He was not a mysterious person. Therefore, he belonged to
many people, and his life can be looked at critically and
scientifically," Komarudin said. "This attitude will not lessen
his greatness."

One of the criticisms against Permadi's alleged review of
Prophet Muhammad's leadership was that it lacked scientific
ground. He also admitted that he knows very little about Islam.

"I believe Prophet Muhammad's greatness wouldn't dim even a
little because of the criticism," Komarudin said. "Defending him
without taking a critical view may actually mean that we conceal
his greatness."

"Ten Salman Rushdi's or ten Permadi's will never be able to
undermine Prophet Muhammad's authenticity as a historical
figure," Komarudin assured. Salman Rushdi is the Indian-born
English author, whose book Satanic Verses, earned him a bounty on
his head from Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran in 1989.

Komarudin advised Indonesian Moslems to engage in
introspection.

Moslems should ask the reason for their defense of Prophet
Muhammad against Permadi's remarks. "Is it because of their wish
to propagate Islam, or is it merely an emotional response?"

"Is the defense meant to present a scientific clarification,
or is it a political ploy?" he added.

"If anybody harasses our religion, we should all come to its
defense, but we have to ask ourselves whether our actions are
actually vengeance," he said.

Nurcholish said there's no need for anybody to try to pinpoint
those who have politicized so much it got out hand.

He pointed out that some Moslems' anger over the alleged
blasphemy may have been caused by factors such as "the psychology
of the defeated", a mind-set created by so many years of standing
on the sidelines of every arena.

He is optimistic, however, that Indonesian Moslems will
eventually outgrow this "immaturity", be more rational and mature
in dealing with sensitive issues.

Marzuki was surprised by the accusation by Lt. Gen. Soeyono,
the Armed Forces Chief of General Affairs, that Permadi was
engaging in clandestine activities.

"I think it's not necessary for us to go that far," he said,
expressing concern that over-reaction may adversely affect
Indonesia's democratization.

The case has developed, he said, in such a way as to create
the impression that there are some people "competing over who can
pin the most extreme labels (on other people)," he said.

"This is not a healthy trend in our political climate ... for
our democratization and human rights development."

Marzuki said the public should be more careful and critically
review the emergence of such "antidemocratic attitudes".

"What concerns me most is how easily agitated Indonesians can
get over these sensitive issues," he said. "We all need to learn
how to handle such issues maturely, and not to react
impulsively."