Hard line of religion used to treat addiction
Hard line of religion used to treat addiction
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
It was not a pretty picture: A shabby little mosque in a dark
alley, filled with puddles of mud because of the heavy rain, with
a foul odor emanating from the nearby river and traditional
market.
Passing through the curved hole in the wall of an entrance,
the sight inside was even more disturbing, with several men
chained to poles on the mosque's verandah.
"Some are mentally ill, some are drug addicts," said Ridwan,
57, a religious teacher and "manager" of the Nurul Alam mosque in
the Pedongkelan slum in North Jakarta -- notorious as a place for
prostitutes, the homeless and criminals.
He denied that chaining the addicts was inhumane, and argued
it was to ensure their proper supervision.
"It's actually inhumane if we set them free. The biggest
obstacle for the addicts is their circle of friends, which will
cause a relapse. A drug addict can be very destructive, they are
no longer human," said the small man in between chess games and
cigarettes.
So, chained they are, their heads shaved cleans and given
saline solution to detoxify the body. The main focus is doing
various religious activities, including communal praying, Koran
reciting, sermons and religious retreats to other towns or
province.
The most severe cases of addiction will be put into a one
meter by one meter box to "contemplate, know their self and their
enemies".
"They are told to have faith. All of those problems are rooted
in a crisis in faith. People don't know about belief, sin ..."
In a country where religious values are brought in to many
issues -- from the gyrating dance of dangdut singer Inul
Daratista (sinful) to karaoke and ballroom dancing programs on
local television (inappropriate) -- it is no wonder that people
also turn to religion to treat drug addiction.
The oldest and most prominent institution running such a
rehabilitation program is probably the Inabah teenage dormitory
owned by Pesantren Suryalaya school of Koranic Studies in
Tasikmalaya, West Java.
Established almost a century ago, the school started its drug
rehabilitation program in 1970 and now has expanded to 19 centers
all over the country.
The method is said to be taken from the Holy Koran which
includes continual praying and taking a shower up to three times
a day -- one in the middle of the night.
It is reported that up to 10,000 troubled teens have been
treated in the dorm, with the success percentage said to be 90
percent.
Aside from Inabah, there are plenty of other schools all over
the country offering a religious approach, for instance one in
Bogor, West Java, owned by Muslim cleric Toto Tasmara.
Within Christian communities, prominent names include the
Doulos Foundation owned by the leader of the Prosperous Peace
Party (PDS) Ruyandi Hutasoit; Rumah Anak Panah rehabilitation
center and Yayasan Anak Domba Allah (Lamb of God Foundation).
Father Johannes "Hanny" Osbourne Repi acknowledged that the
religious approach can be a selling point for a drug
rehabilitation center.
"Especially for parents, because of the security, faith and
belief," said Hanny, who in 2001 was among the recipients of the
National Figure of Drugs Awareness.
"We don't impose our beliefs, though, we just give them the
picture. But in fact, miracles have occurred (in the treatment)."
Mere religious teaching, however, is not enough, Hanny said,
as it has to be integrated with medical treatment, social
activities and family counseling.
"Right now, however, we're more focused on an aftercare
program and monitoring our clients -- we call them students, so
that there will not be cases of relapse. It is important, because
even those who have been clean for four years can go back to
drugs," said Hanny at his office on Jl. Kran V No. 3 in
Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.
Except at Nurul Alam, located at Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan No.
1, the religious approach does not come for free.
Hanny charges Rp 2.5 million a month for the full 14-month
program. On average, Rp 2.5 million to Rp 5 million is the fee
charged by Islamic schools and other rehabilitation centers.
The Inabah dorm, meanwhile, charges Rp 50,000 a day.
"I give a cross subsidy for poor clients. However, many
families pretend to be poor, perhaps because they have spent so
much money to treat the drug addict," said Hanny.
Others contend that it takes more than religious teachings to
completely wean drug addicts off their habit.
According to AIDS activist Nafsiah Mboi, whether the religious
route works depends on the addicts' personalities and level of
addiction.
"The higher the level, the more difficult it is to be treated,
because there have been some changes in the brain. They easily
miss the drugs, and if they come back to their fellow addicts, it
easy to relapse," she said.
The religious approach will also not work if it is punitive
and brands the addict a mere sinner, making them even more
discouraged and depressed.
The important thing, she added, was a supportive environment.
Meanwhile, Ridwan from Nurul Alam mosque said the power of
continual prayer was a way to teach orderliness, something that
the addicts lose due to drug consumption.
"Prayer teaches discipline, order. We ask them to do
pilgrimages, to get more insight into life, which is impossible
to pursue by just staying home," said the elementary school
graduate.
From the addicts' point of view, determination is most
important in getting clean and staying that way.
Hafid Kurnia, 26, has been in and out of rehabilitation
centers and hospitals ever since he started using drugs in 1996.
"I was sent to an Islamic school in Pekalongan (Central Java)
which also focuses on prayer and dzikir (chanting God's name).
But I managed to run away," said Hafid.
He added that Nurul Alam worked for him because it was run in
a familiar way. But there is still a long way to go for Hafid, as
he has only been treated for five months.
The real danger waits on the outside, and falling may into the
abyss of addiction may cost him and millions of other young
people their lives.