Reclaiming jihad's true meaning

Hikmat Sanusi, Tangerang

"Don't you think it was just a political statement for an international audience?" read an e-mail from a friend of mine in California a few days ago.

He was referring to the declaration made recently by Muslim clerics here to disseminate information on true jihad across the country.

I tried to convince him that Muslim clerics here are good people and want to prevent more people from falling victim to terrorism as many lives have already been lost, including of Muslims.

Unsatisfied with my answer, his response was cynical: "But why didn't they do that a long time ago? Are they able to formulate a jihad concept that is acceptable to the many schools of thought in the Muslim world? And, if some sects reject their concept of jihad, what will they do? Do they have the power to disband the defense fronts? Do you a law regulating this area? If there isn't a valid legal instrument, if it's just a matter of appeals to the masses, I don't believe it. Nothing will happen."

Many other people share his doubt that all parties within the Muslim community would accept the concept of jihad and be ready to act according to it.

Soon after news of the high-profile declaration was broadcast on local TV stations, Muhammad Iqbal alias Abu Jibril, who represents the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI), appeared on a local TV program to speak of the rewards that suicide bombers are apparently ready to die for.

"A martyr will be rewarded with 72 wives in heaven and will pray for 70 other people to be ushered into heaven," said Jibril who was once jailed without trial for two years in Malaysia on suspicion of being the treasurer of Jamaah Islamiyah and activist of the Malaysian Mujahidin organization.

This was but part of the seven main rewards he said martyrs would receive in heaven.

The above paragraph shows that, even among Muslim leaders, the teachings of the Koran and Hadith are not being approached in their entirety. There is a tendency to isolate Koranic verses and parts of the Hadith that serve the interests of a group or individual.

So when we talk about clarifying the concept of jihad, we are really talking about the validity of interpretations of the Koran and Hadith. This being the case, the Muslim clerics' pledge to challenge false teachings sounds easier said than done

False ideologies must be challenged through the Koran and Hadith but also within the global political context in which religion exists.

So, now the question is, exactly how do the Muslim clerics intend to wage a war on ideology?

And what are the parameters? Jihad is not a word, it is a world of long-held conviction. This is a highly sensitive and altogether complicated domain. Appeals cannot suffice if concrete results are sought.

Reclaiming the concept of jihad has much do to with the absorption of the teachings of the Koran and Hadith, so perhaps what is needed now is for Muslim intellectuals to regain control of the discourse of Islam, removing misleading interpretations of its texts.

Given the complexity of their mission, it could take several years to arrive at a clear understanding of the concept of jihad, which has been drummed into the beliefs of the more than 190 million Muslims across this nation.

To lighten the load of clerics in accomplishing this task, big organizations could use their existing networks -- including at provincial and regency level -- as well as Islamic boarding schools, universities and informal forums.

This is a prime opportunity for Muslim leaders here to emerge as new heroes of peace within Indonesia and also beyond it.

Eventually, their noble work would save many innocent lives from being preyed randomly upon by ignorant jihadists, who have for so long misinterpreted the holy concept as though they have been given a heavenly mandate to kill.

So let jihad be understood correctly and implemented as God intended it -- never in the way of terrorists and narrow-minded people. Let perceptions about jihad be rejuvenated to benefit, not to frighten people.

The biggest jihad in Indonesia now is how to make this a reality. Only then can we talk of how jihad can benefit Indonesia as the world's most populous Muslim nation; a nation that was built on diversity and is a member of the civilized international community.

The writer is a student at Columbia Pacific University in San Rafael, California. He is currently doing research in Indonesia for his master's degree in political science. He can be reached at hikmat@mailpanda.com.