Promoting religious pluralism

Promoting religious pluralism

Muhamad Ali, Lecturer, Islamic State University (UIN)
Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, muhamad@hawaii.edu

In the month of Ramadhan, Muslims exhibit unusual proximity to
their holy book. They read it, learn its teachings, and attempt
to apply them in their daily lives. It is indeed a conducive time
for learning the Koran more thoroughly and seriously. One of the
values in need of particular attention as part of this process is
religious pluralism.

It is particularly important for Muslims to deal with the
challenge of religious diversity. This is so partly because there
are still some who claim to be Muslims but who also show hatred
for other religions and are even guilty of intolerance. Worse,
this exclusive understanding is claimed to be based on the Koran.

In dealing with the Koran, Islamic fundamentalists deny any
personal or historical frame of reference in the first instance.
While they will insist that normative Islamic morality is to be
judged solely by the Koran and the Sunnah (the Prophet's
exemplary tradition), they will throughout their discourse
simultaneously imply that we are the only ones who have correctly
understood it.

In response to such an exclusive interpretation, Muslim
moderates promote an inclusive, pluralist kind of understanding,
which is more relevant today. At the outset, the moderates
believe that the right to interpret the Koran must be given to
anybody possessing knowledge and responsibility, while at the
same time they insist that human interpretation is subject to
mistakes. Only God truly understands what He means by His verses,
and humans will have at most the capacity to approach His truth
and never reach His ultimate truth.

In addition, the moderates interpret the Koran and the
prophetic tradition in a contextual manner. There are some things
that are permanent, such as the idea of the Oneness of God and
some clear rituals, but others change according to time and
place. In Indonesia, for example, Muslims should not necessarily
apply amputation in the penal law or the idea of dhimmy, that
non-Muslims are regarded as second-class citizens so that they
have to pay the poll-tax and other laws specific to the Arabian
culture.

In relation with non-Muslims, Muslims should show a more
positive, inclusive, and pluralistic attitude, rather than
negative-thinking and exclusivism. Religious diversity should be
celebrated, rather than condemned, based on the contextual
interpretation of some Koranic verses which stipulate that there
is no compulsion in religion and that if God wishes to make us
all have the one identity, He would have done it, but He does not
do that. Instead, God has created human beings in different
classes, tribes, nations, and faiths to allow them to compete for
goodness and rightness (fastabiqul khairat). What counts valuable
to God seems not merely a good, sincere faith, but also good
deeds in serving humanity.

The People of the Book, as recipients of divine revelation,
were recognized as part of the ummah. Addressing all the
prophets, the Koran says, "And surely this, your community is a
single ummah." The establishment of a single ummah would also
mean the establishment of a single humanity with diverse
religious expressions. The Chapter of Medina (Mitsaq al-Madina)
indicates how Muslims, Christians and Jews have the same rights
and obligations in one community to protect and help each other.

The Koranic recognition of religious pluralism is not only
evident from the acceptance of the other as equally legitimate
socio-religious communities but also from an acceptance of the
spirituality of the other and salvation through otherness. The
preservation of the sanctity of the places of worship alluded to
in the Koran was not merely in order to preserve the integrity of
a multireligious society in the manner which contemporary states
may want to protect places of worship because of the role that
they play in the culture of a particular people. Rather, it was
because God, who represented the ultimate for many of these
religions, and who is acknowledged to be above the diverse
outward religio-cultural expressions of that service, was being
worship therein.

If the Koran is to be the word of a just God, as Muslims
sincerely believe, then there is no alternative to the
recognition of the sincerity and righteous deeds of others and
their recompense on the Day of Judgment. There is no use in
Muslims displaying prejudice, negative-thinking of others, let
alone restricting the salvation and mercy of God to only one
single religious community.

God has created humankind from one male and one female, and
has made of them tribes and nations so that they may know each
other. In the eyes of God, the noblest among humankind is the one
who is most virtuous. Hence, the idea of competing in rightness
should be regarded seriously.

If God is one and if religion originates with Him, why is it
that humankind is not truly united in belief? In response to
this, the Koran urges an attitude of patience and humility. This
question is to be left to God who will inform humankind about it
on the Day of Judgment.

To have such an inclusive understanding, Muslims should reopen
the door of ijtihad (creative thinking) because we will always be
confronted with new dilemmas and challenges based on new
knowledge and deeper awareness. Religious diversity is one the
challenges that Muslims should face and find answers to. The
Koran acknowledges the fact of religious diversity as the will of
God.

The month of Ramadhan is an excellent occasion for Muslims to
rethink Islam in order to understand and respect the other
religions. Religious bigotry and fanaticism have no strong basis
in the Koran and therefore need to be reduced, if not eliminated,
in order that Muslims and other religious communities can live in
peace and harmony.

The writer is currently pursuing a PhD in history and is a
fellow at East-West Center fellow in Hawaii, USA.