Indonesian Moslems need to put aside differences

Indonesian Moslems need to put aside differences

By Santi W.E. Soekanto

JAKARTA (JP): When Amien Rais and Abdurrahman Wahid agreed to
appear together during a book launch last December at Sunda
Kelapa Mosque in Central Jakarta, some people saw it as a
reconciliation of Moslem groupings.

Maybe the public was reading too much into the rare meeting
or, rather, they saw what they wanted to see. After all, the
Moslem leaders represent the nation's two largest organizations,
which have a combined following of 58 million people -- a mass
that some people call the Moslem power base.

But Amien's role in Muhammadiyah and Abdurrahman's with
Nahdlatul Ulama, have for years represented the groups'
differences in how they practice Islam.

And because the two men stand at opposite ends of the
political arena, they do not exactly see eye to eye.

Despite growing political clout, deep down many Moslems remain
insecure about the role they will play in the nation's future.

If there is a succession of national leadership in the near
future, will they be included in the new elite or will they be
sidelined as in the past? Should they enter "the system" or
remain on the outer so as to create a stronger base?

Mostly, however, many Moslems realize that there is a long way
to go in terms of unity and mutual understanding.

The last two years have been a test for Indonesian Moslems
because of violence and upheavals which have not only hurt people
of other religions -- whose houses of worship were either burned
or damaged -- but also saw friction among Moslems.

On Dec. 26 last year, a riot rocked the West Java town of
Tasikmalaya after police mistreated a local Moslem preacher. Four
people were killed and dozens of houses and churches, as well as
many other public facilities, were destroyed.

The town's 5,000 residents of Chinese descent sought shelter
at a nearby military base out of fear for their lives, while more
than 12,000 others were left jobless because their factories were
razed.

This particular incident sparked controversy because of the
alleged involvement of Moslem youth activists who affiliated
themselves with Nahdlatul Ulama.

In January this year, another riot rocked Rengasdengklok in
West Java after a woman of Chinese descent insulted local Moslem
youths. What started out as a loud argument escalated into a
rampage that destroyed houses of worship and public facilities.

In February, one person died in East Timor and 86 houses were
burned when a frenzied mob of 6,000 Ambeno regency residents went
on a rampage over a slight against a local priest. This time it
was a Moslem who died in the unrest.

March saw a riot in Pekalongan, Central Java, which spread and
reemerged in neighboring areas as the country prepared for the
general elections. Many of the riots involved Moslem supporters
of the Moslem-oriented United Development Party (PPP) and the
ruling Golkar.

In May, a total of 133 people died in Banjarmasin, South
Kalimantan, when unrest broke out among Moslem supporters of PPP
and Golkar. A further 118 people had to seek medical treatment
while 181 people were arrested. A number of shopping centers were
damaged by fire, along with 130 houses and a church.

In September, mobs of people went on the rampage through
Ujungpandang in South Sulawesi during a riot with ethnic
overtones. The unrest erupted following reports that a nine-year-
old girl was hacked to death by a man of Chinese descent, who
happened to be mentally ill.

It was mainly Moslems involved in the riots and this prompted
many people to ask why Indonesian Moslems have such an angry
temperament.

The hatred that emerged after such incidents eclipsed
important factors such as: a mob does not have individuality,
people are easily provoked if they feel discriminated against
socially and economically, and there could have been political
maneuvering behind the unrest.

But Moslems were hurt too this year and now some Moslems view
their brothers with deep mistrust or even contempt.

High-ranking officials and religious leaders, including
Moslems and those of other faiths, strove in their speeches to
convince others that it was not religious hatred that sparked the
unrest.

But there can be no denying that the image of Indonesian
Moslems has been tainted by the unrest. This was why many Moslems
would like, and hope, to see their leaders -- for once and for
all -- put aside differences and work together to strengthen
unity and bring about greater tolerance and respect for each
other.