Islam's role in nationalism debated

Islam's role in nationalism debated

JAKARTA (JP): Moslem leaders responded to charges that Islam
and the powerful Association of Indonesian Moslem Intellectuals
(ICMI) spearheaded growing sectarian politics here, saying the
religion unites, rather than divides, the country.

"Islam is the glue that helps bond the nation together," Dr.
Amien Rais said during a discussion on Islam and nationalism on
Saturday.

Indonesia, with its estimated 200 ethnic groups and 300
dialects, could easily disintegrate, he said. Islam teaches its
adherents to have a strong sense of nationalism but at the same
time avoid xenophobia, he added.

"As the dominant religion here, Islam helps us maintain
nationalism amid such plurality," said Amien of Gadjah Mada
University in Yogyakarta.

Leading proselytizer Hussein Umar from the Council for Islamic
Propagation (DDII) said he found recent public discourses on the
issue trying to polarize the Islamic movement on the one hand,
and nationalism on the other.

"We should not make such a polarization," Hussein said,
quoting recent remarks by the Minister of Religious Affairs
Tarmizi Taher.

He said that he sensed a certain "Islamophobia" among those
who created a furor by suggesting that Islam promotes sectarian
politics.

The former student activist during the chaotic 1960s defended
ICMI against accusations of sectarianism. "Since ICMI was
established, people are no longer ashamed to say that they're
Moslem," he said.

The issue of sectarianism, he added, was simply new packaging
for old accusations against Moslem activists. "They used to call
us right-wing extremists or fundamentalists, now they call us
sectarian or primordial groups," he said.

Out of their dislike of Islam, some people sought ways to
undermine the solidly flourishing Moslem groups by blowing up the
issue of Islam versus nationalism, he said.

Another former student activist, Eky Syahrudin, caused an
uproar at the discussion when he refuted both Amien and Hussein's
observations.

Economic motives

"No, it's not religion which holds a nation together," Eky
asserted. "It's economic motives, the need for economic justice,
which determine whether a group of people will stay together or
fall apart."

The former member of the influential Moslem Students
Organization (HMI) cited Pakistan, Russia and some Arab countries
which adhered to the same religions and spoke the same languages,
but ended up embroiled in economic disputes.

The question of who holds economic hegemony is even more
important than the issue of religious leadership, he said. "Sure,
Islam is big, but it should not claim to be representing the
country," he said.

The issue of a Moslem sectarian movement has grown rapidly
since late last year, following the success of various Moslem
groups in pressuring the government to adopt certain policies
which benefited the groups.

The abolition of the SDSB state lottery and the government's
open support for many Islamic causes, including sending military
observers to Bosnia-Herzegovina, were considered proof of
Moslems' clamor for an enhanced role in the domestic political
and social arenas. ICMI and its leaders have been charged as
being the driving force behind these developments.

The Saturday discussion was held by HMI and the Institute for
Moslems' Alms Management, and also featured senior political
observer Deliar Noer and historian Taufiq Abdullah.

Taufiq said that throughout the country's history, Indonesian
Moslems have always displayed a great awareness of national
issues or nationalism. "Islam grew here through a series of
reforms and changes," he said. (swe)