RI 'could be model' of democratic Muslim nation

RI 'could be model' of democratic Muslim nation

Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia could become the prototype of a democratic Islamic
nation as the majority of Muslims here embrace moderation and
modernity despite the fact that radicalism has been growing since
the fall of former strongman Soeharto in 1998, says a noted
German Muslim scholar.

"The mainstream of Islam in Indonesia is not scriptural and
the popular face of Islam here is flexible. I believe Indonesia
may be able to come to terms with modernity better than other
Muslim nations, like Egypt," Bassam Tibi, a professor of
international relations at Gottingen University in Germany, told
The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Bassam is currently in Jakarta to attend a three-day
international seminar on Islam and the West: One Year after Sept.
11, which is organized by the Center for Languages and Cultures
at the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University.

He said fundamentalist groups were active in Indonesia but
dismissed fears that they would ever become a powerful force in
the world's largest Muslim country, arguing that they were "at
the fringe of society" and not at the center of power.

According to Bassam, Indonesia's diversity of religions and
cultures helps prevent religious radicalism.

"This religious and cultural diversity will make Indonesia an
open society," he said.

Bassam, who was born in Syria, said fundamentalists could only
be successful if they undertook underground action with the
backing of the population, especially in times of economic
uncertainty.

"Because Indonesia is very diverse, if fundamentalists commit
actions like killing Christians, it will not be easy to get the
support of the entire population, unless the economic situation
is very bad," said Bassam, adding that economic hardship provided
fertile soil for the rise of fundamentalism.

Bassam, who is also a founding member of the Arab Human Rights
Organization, said a security approach was necessary to counter
and prevent radicalism from rising, as well as social policies on
poverty alleviation, conflict resolution and democratization.

"You have to have security measures to deal with
fundamentalists who undertake underground activities," he said.

"This is not repression, but comes within the standard of
human rights ... because fundamentalists also have human rights.
But if I try to kill you, for example, and you stop me from doing
so, that does not go against human rights," he added.

Militant groups are "dangerous to the country" if its economy
is not so good, he added.

Radicalist and fundamentalist groups have been on the rise in
Indonesia since Soeharto was forced out of power in 1998. Laskar
Jihad is the most prominent and notorious one. It has been blamed
for violent attacks on Christians across Indonesia amid its
campaign for Islamic sharia law to be implemented in the country.

Bassam said he believed Laskar Jihad was linked to Osama bin
Laden and his al-Qaeda network, which has been blamed for the
Sept. 11, 2001, tragedy in the United States. Earlier, Laskar
Jihad denied any links to al-Qaeda.

According to the German scholar, fundamentalism is the
politicization of religious belief and stems from a
misinterpretation of Islam.

"Enjoin the good and forbid the evil. That is Islam. But if
you argue Islam is a system of government, this does not exist in
Koran and this is fundamentalism," he said.