Govt silence and religious extremists
Emanuel Shahaf, Jerusalem
Recent editorials and op-ed pieces put the spotlight on a phenomenon that is not limited to Indonesia but has become a problem in many other predominantly secular countries as well. Religion, often organized, is returning as a major challenge to the ongoing secularization of societies. In the United States, the Bush administration has helped support a return to very conservative values inspired largely by the Christian right.
The Eastern European countries that have been liberated from communism are encountering a wakening of Christian religious favor and radical Islam is continuing to strengthen, sometimes introducing violence into the public religious discourse in those few Muslim countries where democracy permits this.
Also in Israel, the world's only Jewish nation reborn after 2000 years of life in the Diaspora, the religious right is trying to dominate the public agenda and making a major effort to derail political decisions taken by a largely secular government coalition.
There is a danger in these developments but it is not only the activism of the religious elements, be it Christians, Muslims or Jews. Throughout history, there have been radical elements in all religions exhibiting varying degrees of extremism with sometimes tragic results. But today, no religion stands a chance of promoting it's agenda unless it has at least the tacit support of the reigning secular government. And here lies the true danger to pluralism, freedom of religion, and an open and free society:
The deafening silence of some governments and their willingness, out of fear from religious radicals , for reasons of political expediency or a combination of both, to ignore the extremists and their efforts to hijack the public agenda.
The purposeful ignorance with which the U.S. administration watches the slow erosion of the separation of church and state in America and sanctions public officials who make egregious religiously tainted declarations, the continued pandering of the Israeli government to the Jewish religious right who wants to lay claim to large tracts of Palestinian territory, and the silence of the government of Indonesia after the state sponsored (no less) MUI issues a Fatwa challenging important elements in RI's constitution, those are the real dangers to a pluralistic and open dialogue between people of all religions.
It was Dante who said that the hottest (or darkest) places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis. This is a time of moral crisis and governments are silent. They are silent at their own peril.
The writer is a retired (Israeli) diplomat who served in South East Asia from 2000-2003.