Moslems sidelined: Gus Dur
Moslems sidelined: Gus Dur
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Abdurrahman Wahid, leader of the 30-million strong Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Moslem organization, has said that Indonesian Moslems have a sense of being intimidated and are thus too afraid to sponsor social changes.
"They are so afraid that even religious leaders and students can only concentrate on ritual activities and don't try to make any social changes," Abdurrahman, better known as Gus Dur, said in his speech in front of participants of the Idul Fitri gathering here on Saturday night.
Abdurrahman said that most of the issues that were discussed relate to religious fanaticism, without making any other progress as they could only deal with matters which have no connection to social changes.
He said that daily religious activities are important, but social thinking should also be nurtured within Indonesian Moslem ranks. If Moslems are only busy with lithurgic activities, they will be trapped in ritualism which is not conducive to social changes, he said.
"We should not tie ourselves up only with rituals but we have to develop ideas," he said.
Gus Dur also said that ideas concerning social and state matters are very important, citing as an example the question whether the House of Representatives had conformed with the provision of the syura council taught by Islam.
He said that sponsoring political correction does not mean to destroy the state but to improve and strengthen it. This is only possible by giving the power to the people to correct things without changing the system.
"The National Constitution is good enough and there is no difficulty implementing it. But everyday we see the Constitution violated," Abdurrahman said.
Unfortunately, he said, Moslems have done nothing to improve the situation. "Moslems scholars have even joined the group who have resigned and adjusted themselves to the situation, helping to preserve the status quo.
"These are what I would call 'intellectual workers' because they make concepts based on the order."
A person who works for an order is a worker, Abdurrahman said. "Why don't they try to create ideas on how to meet the people's actual needs," he asked.
He expected Moslem intellectuals and religious leaders to practice Koranic teachings in their daily lives, and to sponsor social changes which will enable them to lead people towards Islamic teachings.
He regretted the fact that Moslem students have been intimidated so badly that they are afraid to touch upon real social problems.
"In this situation how can we advocate social changes," he asked.
If Moslems are unable to analyze social problems, they should not only applaud government policy but also be sensitive to the people's plight.
Abdurrahman said Moslems -- especially NU members -- should remain independent and not depend on the authorities too much .
"I've always told NU members to try and be able to help themselves. This may eventually make for a balanced relationship with the government," he said. (har/31)