Moslems disunited on rights

Moslems disunited on rights

Following is the last of a two-part article taken from a paper
presented by Muhammad A.S. Hikam at the Asia Foundation's
workshop on Human Rights in Asia and Pacific, Chiang Mai,
Thailand.

JAKARTA (JP): Under the New Order, the idea of universal human
rights has been opposed by both cultural relativism and the idea
of right to development. Here, the notion of rights is regarded
as relative and contingent upon both the specific cultural and
religious background in society. Moreover, the implementation of
human rights should not interfere with the process of economic
development.

Such a vision of cultural relativism concerning the universal
human rights has been implemented by the state apparatus through
appropriation and reinterpretation of the existing traditions,
culture, and religions. For example, it has been argued that
Indonesian culture gives higher value to the community.
Therefore, the interests of the community take precedence to
those of the individuals, particularly when it comes to the
conflict between the two. The valorization of community at the
expense of individuals legitimize many state actions which
deprive individuals of basic rights.

The Moslem community as a political and social force in the
country has been pretty much disunited on the issue of human
rights. The current trend among Islamic leaders and groups has
been to support the state's relativist view on human rights,
albeit with different leitmotif. They reject what they see as a
compromise to secular and Western values, while at the same time
opting for a long term strategy of Islamicizing the political
sphere.

In such a political environment, the advocates of human rights
among Islamic groups are facing increasing pressure from both the
state and the Islamist groups. Their voices tend to be muted and
suppressed by censorship or harassment, which make it difficult
for them to participate openly in the discourses and practices
regarding human rights issues in Indonesia.

There are, of course, still some Islamic leaders who dare to
express their views and challenge the relativist vision of human
rights articulated by both the state and the Islamists. It
remains to be seen, however, whether their persistence and
tenacity will be capable of balancing the currently dominant
relativist perspective in Indonesia.

I would argue that both the Islamic and the modern, secular
perspectives on human rights share some basic principles. There
are some tentative recommendations which can be offered to bring
mutual understanding and open the possibility of working out some
practical solutions.

First of all, the Moslem leaders should disseminate common
grounds and principles shared by both Islam and the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. In this respect, developing
awareness among the people about the compatibility of some
Islamic principles with the modern concepts of human rights is a
fundamental step.

The next is the development of an appropriate information
delivery system for the promotion of human rights in society.
This can be done, for example, through the existing networks of
the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and social and
religious organizations such as the Nahdlatul Ulama and
Muhammadiyah.

The NGOs could be very useful as an agent for this kind of
information delivery system due to their access to various
sources of information, both domestic and internationally. The
social and religious organizations can play the role as
information networks which will provide and disseminate relevant
information regarding human rights problems.

It is also important to strengthen the linkage between the
existing agencies working in the field of human rights such as
YLBHI, Yapusham, and Komnasham (the National Commission for Human
Rights) and those Islamic organizations and leaders who share a
similar concern. It seems to me that the existing human right
agencies still work separately and tend to communicate very
little with religious communities. It will be useful, therefore,
if they can support and promote dialogues between the religious
and the secular groups to better understand each other,
particularly in dealing with human rights issues.

Finally, studies on the Islamic perspective on human rights
are still lacking in Indonesia. While there has been abundant
literature on Islam and politics, the field of human rights is
given only scant attention by scholars and activists.

Therefore, research activities concerning Islam and human
rights in Indonesia in particular and Asia in general should be
encouraged in the Islamic world, with its complexities,
heterogeneity, and differences.

No doubt that Islam will be represented by various strands
within it and recognizing those that are more appreciative and
supportive to the idea of universal human rights will be
fundamental in order to overcome prejudices and stereotypes.