Separation of religion and state
I am writing in response to Dirk Vleugels' letter of May 25, 1999, in which he responds to protests written by those who had read his first letter of May 12, 1999, which, I regret, I missed.
Though I did not read his first letter, I think I can guess the contents. It is a reasonable opinion to have suggested a secular state, i.e., in his own words, separation of religion and state. However, as a devout Muslim, I find it odd when he said that religion has a lot to do with the misfortunes of this country, such as misdeeds of the former president, the violence in Maluku, Aceh, corruption, collusion and nepotism, and last but by no means least, last year's rapes of ethnic Chinese women.
He should have clarified further the statement. Anyway, I beg to differ here. Religion, whichever one he may have in his mind to blame, has nothing to do with human crimes. From what he said, religion is responsible for what people do. I think it is the other way round. We, the believers, are responsible to our religion.
As many would agree, Islam has long been seen, especially by the Western world, as a barbaric religion, which allows its believers to indulge in revenge, violence, terrorism, discriminating against women, and so on. Last year's crimes and violence in Indonesia may have somehow supported this unfounded and misguided concept. Perhaps it is our fault that such images have been created about Islam. However, one must not forget: images are not always truths.
Let me quote a few verses from the Koran and see what Islam, which means peace in Arabic, teaches us on how to treat each other and how to behave, to mention a few.
"O mankind! We created you from a single (pair), of a male and a female, And made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (Not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things)" S.XLIX/V-13.
"Whatever good, O man!, happens to thee, is from Allah; But whatever evil happens to thee, is from thy (own) soul. And We have sent thee an Apostle to (instruct) mankind ..." S.IV/V-79.
In each religion, being a true believer is more than doing regular prayers. People commit crimes while being "religious". Glaring examples are thefts involving millions of rupiah by mosque-going VIPs, not to mention petty thefts that occur during Ramandhan, the fasting month. As far as religion is concerned, those VIPs are in the same rank as other common thieves, and God has promised us to deal with such people.
If we really study it, the Koran is the operation manual for living our lives. Had our leaders used it to govern the country, there would not have been such tragedies we are encountering now. I sincerely hope that people of different religions will study Islam before doubting its credibility. This could be an unreasonable wish because even Muslims need to study further about this beautiful but practical religion.
Last but not least, I wish us to remember that God tells us to be firm, patient in pain or suffering and in adversity, and throughout all periods of panic because that is to prove that we are the people of truth and the God-fearing (see S.II/V-177).
W. TJAHJONO
Jakarta