Muslim masses in need of clarification about jihad
Muslim masses in need of clarification about jihad
Antara, Pontianak, West Kalimantan
The sacred concept of jihad, or holy war, has recently been narrowly re-defined to fit Muslim militant solidarity against the U.S. for its perceived threat to strike Afghanistan for sheltering Osama bin Laden, a legislator said on Saturday.
Chairil Effendi, a member of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), said that influential Muslim clerics need to stand up and explain the true meaning of jihad to calm down the militants.
Chairil said that some militant groups have been registering Muslims for war to defend the Taliban by shaping public opinion that a Muslim country was under attack.
"In its true sense, jihad is a universal concept which is much broader than going to a physical war," He said. "Clerics have a responsibility to explain this, especially to young Muslims so that they have the correct understanding about jihad."
Hardline groups have defied the government's ban on sending fighters to Afghanistan, convincing some that it is their religious obligation to fight a holy war against Americans.
Chairil called for a "moral and intellectual jihad" rather than a physical one.
"The nation's chaos stems from our own moral and spiritual degradation and we need this sort of jihad to mend our own situation," he said.
On a separate occasion, Jimly Assidiqie, an executive of the Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association (ICMI) said he was pessimistic that the government's ban on sending jihad mercenaries to Afghanistan would be effective.
"They (mercenaries) are leaving individually or in small groups and the government will not be able to watch them," he said.
The various calls for jihad have created a delicate issue for the nationalist Megawati government. Militant Muslims see the government's solidarity with the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism as unsympathetic to them.
"Indonesian citizens' participation in jihad in Afghanistan will taint the government image in the international community, especially the U.S.," Jimly said.