Open societies make good Muslims

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

To be a good Muslim, it is far more virtuous and valuable to be in an open society, instead of living in a closed society where people are forced to follow the dictates of the religion, a prominent Thai Muslim scholar says.

Surin Pitsuwan, a former Thai foreign minister, said here on Tuesday that every human being must be responsible for their own conduct and exercise free will.

"In the teachings of the Koran and Hadiths, there is always room for human beings to take charge of their own affairs. This is an issue of accountability, responsibility, participation, as well as individual and collective obligations," he said on the sidelines of a discussion on Islam and democracy in Southeast Asia, which was sponsored by the International Center for Islam and Pluralism (ICIP).

Democracy, he said, demands that every person is aware of that responsibility, participation and contribution.

"Prophet Muhammad is a model of the perfect human being for every Muslim. We have to try to approximate that by taking our responsibility seriously, which can only be fulfilled in an open society," Surin said.

The aspect of secularism is therefore necessary in this era of modernity and globalization, he added.

"(But) total separation between religion and state, like what exists in Europe won't work here (in the region). It's not secularism in the sense that you have no consideration for religion, but in the sense that every religion is equal and protected under the law," he said.

In Thailand, Surin said, secularism was a necessity for minorities to play a role in the society.

"For the Muslim minority, its not a choice of whether or not there is an Islamic state. Let the majority rule, but let the minority take a role as well. Every society must deal with social deviance, minorities who deviate from the majority."

ICIP chairman Syafii Anwar highlighted in his paper the growing number of Muslim politicians and activists who had changed their responses and shifted strategies concerning the democratic system.

Nonetheless, challenges and problems still exist, as revealed by a Freedom House survey in 2002, as among Muslim countries, only 11 out of 47 states (23 percent) could be grouped as democratic states, with their governments elected democratically.

The survey also showed that there was a "democracy deficit" in certain Muslim states controlled by authoritarian regimes.

Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi once confirmed that many governments in Islamic states have manipulated religion as justification for their tyranny and despotism, practicing authoritarianism and condoning human rights violations in the name of Islam and holy struggle.

"Not only is democratization a must and precondition of a modern and civilized world, but it is in line with the spirit and purposes of sharia, that is to uphold a just society," Syafii said.

With the challenges of radical movements that hamper democracy, Surin said that a long process of education, social transformation and empowerment, as well as leadership was necessary to create an open society.

"Pesantren (Islamic boarding school) must realize these challenges and transform their mindset and mentality. We can't be too dogmatic or too monopolistic in our approaches. But I think the challenge of globalization has made the period more compressed, more urgent," said Surin.

He pointed out that, in Indonesia, the two largest Muslim organizations -- Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah -- have already given up the idea of establishing an Islamic state.

"I believe democracy in Indonesia has created its own corrective mechanism."