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.