Moslem unity is pivotal

The five-day Indonesian Moslem Congress currently underway in Jakarta was not meant to be a political meeting but Minister of Religious Affairs Malik Fajar said in his opening speech that by the end of it all Moslems should have a common perception of where they stand on a myriad of moral, social and political issues.

We also see this congress as being of great importance because it is being held against the backdrop of seemingly unceasing disunity among the nation's Moslem leaders. That the last -- and only other -- such congress was held in 1945 shows how significant the event is.

However, there is a certain irony that Majlis Syura Muslimin Indonesia (Masyumi), which was born at a historic meeting as a single political party for the Moslem community, still haunts many Moslem politicians today. They say the current growth of numerous Moslem political parties has been overshadowed by Masyumi's disintegration.

In arenas outside these political activities -- which are meant to uphold the political reform movement -- Moslems have appeared in many guises. Consequently many people claim they speak on behalf of the religion. Some self-styled spokespeople are very radical and narrow-minded in their approach, many are statesmanlike and others are far-sighted intellectuals.

Many were also active around Soeharto when the former president was playing the Islamic card by abusing religious symbols. They seem to forget how for more than three decades Soeharto curtailed Moslems' religious and political rights.

Moreover, there have never before been so many people speaking on behalf of Islam as today without making even the slightest effort to express a modicum of Islamic morality. In this connection we are seeing the supporters of a politician who degraded another religion take to the streets to glorify him by threatening to wage a holy war in his defense.

However, there have also been displays of political maturity and moral wisdom in addition to the blatant shows of narrow- mindedness. But all the outbursts of public political participation should be tempered with a common idealism and respect for plurality, plurality both within Islam and the nation.

And many Moslems have also come to understand that the word majority means more than attracting more supporters; it also entails accepting greater national responsibility.

We understand that every right-thinking Indonesian understands how important a pillar of our national unity is unity among Moslems. On the other hand a strong and united Moslem ummah will in no way be hazardous to national interests but, in contrast, fortify them.

Unlike other religions, Islam has no separation between religion and the state, although most scholars believe there is no instruction in the Koran for Moslems to create a theocratic state.

However, 14 centuries ago the Prophet Muhammad gave examples on how to lead an ummah in a modern state and how to live in a pluralistic civil society.

In Indonesia today, good examples of Moslem politicians following the above advice are few and far between. They seem to find it just too difficult to accommodate the views of orthodox groups, who in turn have tried to no avail to understand the "modern" thinking of their more educated brethren.

And now it is even common to see many "modern" Moslems of the same educational level failing to communicate properly with each other.

This is all a big challenge that this congress must find an answer to. And the solution it reaches should help enhance the unity among Moslems and help them solve their current problems for the sake of creating a new and modern Indonesia.