Muhammadiyah to use local wisdom for a better future
Muhammadiyah to use local wisdom for a better future
Yogita Tahilramani and Edith Hartanto, The Jakarta Post,
Surabaya
The leader of the Muhammadiyah delivered a strong message for
change on Sunday when he hailed local wisdom, saying it was an
important element to help guide the organization into a better
tomorrow.
"Indonesia has many diverse cultures. This is precisely why we
cannot spread Islam by insisting, for instance, that prayers and
the spreading of religion in South Sumatra should be done the
same way as in Java," Muhammadiyah chairman Ahmad Syafii Ma'arif
said in his opening address to the congress of the organization's
youth wing.
Syafii acknowledged that changing people's mind-set was not an
easy task.
Strong-willed strategists who understand that morality among
Indonesian communities has reached its lowest point are needed,
Syafii said in front of an audience of 5,000 people at the Kerta
Jaya sports stadium here.
"Local wisdom is needed to guide these people," he said.
The organization had previously rejected all local concepts
and philosophy and even ways of life, which it deemed
antagonistic and not in line with Islamic teachings.
Syafii's message was addressed to Muhammadiyah's 30 million
members, advising them to accommodate the local cultures it had
frowned upon for decades, and to accept pre-Islamic traditions as
reality.
The Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), another prominent moderate Muslim
organization, is known to be more tolerant toward local cultures.
NU has been known to adopt various pre-Islamic traditions when
spreading Islam, mostly in Java.
A closer bond between the two organizations, which had uneasy
relations in the past, became apparent when Syafii and NU
chairman Hasyim Muzadi joined hands to act as mediators to
address the nation's numerous problems, including conflicts among
the political elite, between Christians and Muslims, and the
issues of internally displaced persons and poverty.
"Both our organizations need to promote Islam among the grass
roots. I have told Hasyim Muzadi, that let this honeymoon period
between both our organizations continue forever. Let it not be
just for the moment," Syafii said.
NU and Muhammadiyah members make up a total of 70 million
people, or about half of the country's eligible voters.
The four-day congress is slated to elect the youth wing's new
leader.
Syafii stressed that regeneration within the youth wing's
leadership was needed and would be in line with the gradual
change in the way of thinking of Muhammadiyah leaders.
Syafii stressed that he would not involve himself in the
electing of a new leader for the Muhammadiyah's youth wing,
stating that, ideally, the leader should not be involved with any
political party.
If the elected candidate holds a position in a political
party, he would be required to formally resign from the party
before taking up the post of Muhammadiyah youth wing leader.
Earlier, a majority of 91 Muhammadiyah officials voted in
favor of the stipulation that the youth leader should not have
any involvement with a political party.
Final selection of candidates will be held on Monday.
Candidates include officials of the National Mandate Party (PAN),
whose chairman Amien Rais was previously a Muhammadiyah chairman
and a Muhammadiyah youth wing leader.
Amien, who also gave a speech at the opening of the congress,
is People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker.
Syafii added that the Muhammadiyah needed to keep its distance
from all political parties, as decided during the 1971
Muhammadiyah congress in Ujungpandang.