Scholars call for jihad against corruption

Scholars call for jihad against corruption

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In order to properly observe the upcoming month of religious
reflection, Muslim scholars called on the people to declare a
moral jihad against corruption for their Ramadhan resolutions.

They said the holy month, marked by dawn to dusk fasting for
Muslims, should be seen as the starting point for the world's
most populous Muslim country to launch a moral jihad against the
most villainous evil plaguing the nation: Corruption, nepotism
and collusion, known locally as KKN, which has caused huge state
losses and contributed to poverty and the prolonged crises.

"Instead of clamping down on nightspots, the nation should use
this Ramadhan as momentum to declare a war on corruption, and
restrain ourselves from doing anything that is remotely corrupt
beginning with the holy month," Muslim scholar Azyumardi Azra
told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

"The whole point of fasting is to exercise self restraint, and
that must include shunning all forms of corruption."

He said that such a resolution could have a far-reaching
impact if all Muslims implemented it.

Muslims account for nearly 90 percent of the Indonesian
population of 214 million.

Azyumardi criticized the hardline groups who only focused
their attention on forcefully preventing entertainment venues
(particularly bars and discotheques) from operating during
Ramadhan, which starts on Monday. The fasting month will last
until Nov. 24, when Muslims celebrate the Idul Fitri holidays
thereafter.

"If every Muslim really implemented such self restraint, they
would not enter those places (that serve alcohol) during Ramadhan
even if they were open," he stressed.

"What we have to refrain from is our own desires and not turn
the blame on factors from the outside. That's the real Muslim
way."

Many Islamic-based hardline groups across the country have
demanded that their respective local governments ban all
nightspots during the fasting month, branding the places "dens of
sin".

One such group in Mataram, on Lombok island, has even gone so
far as to urge the West Nusa Tenggara capital's authorities to
close U.S.-franchised eateries McDonald's and Kentucky Fried
Chicken during Ramadhan.

Azyumardi suggested that the country's Muslim community should
fully support the two largest Muslim organizations, Nahdlatul
Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, who joined forces earlier this month
to launch a moral movement against corruption.

"We need to keep the momentum on that going and really utilize
this time during the holy month to put some teeth into their
campaign," he urged.

Corruption eradication was the top priority of the reform
movement's goals for the nation after the fall of Soeharto in May
1998. But surveys conducted by international and domestic
institutions reveal that corruption is now worse than it ever has
been as it affects not only the bureaucracy but the legislative
body and judiciary as well as the most of the newly decentralized
administrations throughout the country.

The most recent study conducted by Brussels-based group
Transparency International still ranks Indonesia among the most
corrupt countries in the world.

Some commentators suggested that the war against terrorism and
other issues such as separatism have overshadowed the
anticorruption drive.

Another Muslim scholar, Masdar Farid Mas'udi, agreed with
Azyumardi, saying Ramadhan should result in concrete actions that
benefited all people.

"A jihad against corruption should be our Ramadhan
resolution," Masdar said.

He emphasized that it might be far from enough to make the
resolution work just for one month. "But at least it could serve
as a start for a better way of living," he said.

The two scholars also urged the country's leaders to embrace
such a campaign and lead the war against corruption by example.