MUI attacks progressive Islamic movement

MUI attacks progressive Islamic movement

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In what was widely seen as an apparent campaign against freedom
of thought and religion, the state-sanctioned Indonesian Ulema
Council (MUI) issued on Thursday a fatwa outlawing liberal
Islamic thoughts.

Apart from liberalism, the council also declared secularism
and pluralism forbidden under Islam, through one of the 11
decrees it issued during its four-day national congress that will
officially end on Friday.

With such an unpopular fatwa, the MUI could be headed for a
showdown with progressive Islamic movements that have been
growing in the predominantly Muslim nation.

Fatwa Commission chairman Ma'ruf Amin said that although the
edict did not specify any organization by name, it was issued
apparently in reaction to the activities of two progressive
groups -- the Liberal Islam Network (JIL) and the Muhammadiyah
Youth Intellectuals Network (JIMM).

"All of their teachings are deviant ... No one should adhere
to their beliefs," Ma'ruf told The Jakarta Post. "Their
principles are dangerous and misleading, because they believe in
only what they think is right and use pure rationale as
justification."

Proponents of liberal Islam use rational interpretations of
Islamic texts as opposed to literal meanings, view religious
truth as a relative concept and believe in the separation of
religion and state.

MUI deputy chairman Umar Shihab said that in the council's
view, both the Western-influenced JIL and JIMM have strayed from
the Indonesian brand of Islam.

"The views that are developing in Europe and America are
heretical and not allowed here," he said. "However, we must not
counter them with violence, but with logical arguments."

The fatwa, which was read out on the third day of the
congress without any resistance from over 300 participants,
stated that Islamic interpretations based on liberalism,
secularism and pluralism "contradict Islamic teachings".

The fatwa defines liberal Islam as interpreting Islamic texts
using pure rationale to selectively accept only certain religious
doctrines.

"For example, they (liberals) say that a man cannot have more
than one wife because it is gender bias, when in fact polygamy is
allowed by Islam, as long as the husband can be fair," said
Ma'ruf.

Secularism by definition, according to the edict, is the
belief that the role of religion should be limited to an
individual's relationship with God and that society should be
guided by social conventions.

The fatwa outlaws pluralism that views all religions as being
equally valid and having relative truths.

"Pluralism in that sense is haram (forbidden under Islamic
law), because it justifies other religions," Maruf said, adding
that people should be allowed to claim that their religion is the
true one and that other faiths are wrong.

However, he stressed that the council accepted the fact that
Indonesia was home to different religions and that their
followers could live side by side.

"Plurality in the sense that people believe in different
religions is allowed," Ma'ruf explained. "As such, we have to
respect each other and coexist peacefully."

The MUI also renewed its 1980 fatwa against Ahmadiyah, an
Islamic group that does not share the mainstream Muslim belief
that Muhammad was the last prophet.

The new fatwa contained stronger language than the previous
one, calling for the government to ban and dismantle the
organization as well as freeze all of its activities.

The council also issued a fatwa, reaffirming its 1980 ban on
marriages between people of different faiths.

The MUI also banned interfaith prayers, unless they are led by
a Muslim. Other edicts issued included those forbidding women
from leading prayers when men are in attendance.

Commenting on the fatwas, particularly the one against liberal
Islam, prominent Muslim scholar Azyumardi Azra dismissed it as
"ineffective and even counterproductive".

"I don't agree with such a fatwa. The state cannot enforce it
for Muslims as it's not legally binding. Muslims can or will
ignore it."

He said the ban on liberal thoughts reflected the intolerance
being promoted by the MUI and indicated that it was trying to
curb freedom of thought. (002)