Hardship 'driving people to violence'

JAKARTA (JP): Economic hardships have driven people to such desperation that many are ignoring the Ramadhan fasting month tenet of self-control, scholars agreed on Saturday.

Alwi Shihab, Syafii Maarif and Ignas Kleden spoke separately to The Jakarta Post about outbursts of violence which have occurred in many parts of the country during the fasting month.

Friction among the political elite, a poor performance by the government, a lack of understanding among different religions and a large gap between the haves and have-nots are all contributors to the continuing violence, Alwi said.

Alwi, however, believed that the fasting month of Ramadhan has seen less violence compared to previous months. Alwi was speaking on the sidelines of a discussion on national reconciliation.

This year's Ramadhan has, however, seen an unprecedented amount of violence across the country even though students, much attacked for plans to continue rallies during the holy month, have so far complied with demands to temporarily halt their street protests.

The latest riot, which occurred on Saturday in Karawang, West Java, was sparked by rumors that a motorcycle taxi driver had been abused by police. One person was shot dead and at least eight others were injured during the rampage.

Alwi, the dean of the private Paramadinamulya University in Jakarta, added that some Muslim leaders had failed to instill peace among the people. Rather than calming the masses they incited people to riot, he said.

He added that violence could be traced more to economic problems rather than religious differences.

In December, riots with religious overtones occurred in Ketapang, West Jakarta, in which 14 people were killed and 22 churches were burned and vandalized. This incident was followed by an apparent retaliation attack in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, where mosques and Muslim-owned property were damaged.

Alwi said that a poor understanding of religious differences was very dangerous because it often caused followers to become easily provoked.

"If riots are still continuing (during Ramadhan), it is because of continued hardships and the presence of some provocateurs," he said.

The situation is worsened by the government's inability to handle the current complexities, he said.

"What happens at the bottom levels (of society) usually reflects the situation at the top levels," he said of the current violence.

"If the people believe that the government has failed to find a solution to their problems, they will find their own way. This is very dangerous for our country in the future."

Syafii, who is chairman of the Muhammadiyah Muslim organization, pointed to rampant looting in many areas.

"Twisted norms and a breakdown in the system lead to people's insensitivity toward religious values," Syafii said on Friday.

"That is one of the reasons why outbreaks of unrest continue even during Ramadhan," he said.

He also cited the possibility of certain people masterminding the ongoing unrest. "I cannot say who... but it is clear that many incidents have been engineered based on particular political interests."

Recent incidents which exploited religious sentiments, such as the Banyuwangi killing spree, clearly show patterns of an organized movement, he added.

"For me, there's no such thing as a religious dispute or unrest," Syafii said. "It is clear that religion here only becomes an excuse or tool for some parties to exploit."

"A great number of unemployed people, a worsening economic crisis, a euphoria over democracy, bureaucratic ills... combined with... a shortage in the food supply which has lead to starvation and physical diseases (have) added to people's confusion and misery."

Syafii added, "It's almost natural for people under such pressures to become violent and impulsive."

Meanwhile, Ignas, who is a sociologist, said violence is universal and intrinsic in human nature regardless of a person's religion.

Tendencies toward violence, he said, usually emerged from a need to achieve quick results by using force, ignoring religious teachings, laws and norms.

Ignas said that given "the personal intimacy" between a religion and its followers, any signs of defamation could trigger feelings of being insulted.

Worse, he said, there were parties who used religion to provoke their followers.

"No religion condones violence," he added.

Given that violence could be traced to inequitable situations here in the political, economic, social and cultural spheres, he said promoting fairness would help check violence. (29/edt/01)