Open societies make good Muslims
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."