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.