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.