Significance of being a moderate and progressive Muslim

Mohamad Abdun Nasir Mataram

Religious radicalism and extremism have proven to be a danger to social stability and order. While liberalism and secularism often trigger fear among Muslims that they are being secularized and cut off from Islamic doctrines that govern the daily lives of Muslims.

While radicalism and extremism obviously fail to create a harmonious inner religious life, liberalism and secularism are seen as going beyond the limits of the normative traditions of the Muslim majority. In this regard, a new perspective is badly needed to encourage and mold Muslim identity.

Islam has in recent years been associated almost solely with the violence and terrorism that have occurred and spread throughout the world, from the U.S. and Europe in the West to Iraq and Palestine in the Middle East, up to Indonesia, the Philippines and southern Thailand in Southeast Asia. This simplification and stereotyping occur because some terrorists represent themselves as devout Muslims.

In the Indonesian context, groups of fundamentalist and hard- line Muslims have failed to attract huge numbers of followers. The issues they deal with and strategies of the movements they represent do not satisfy the majority of Muslims here. Take for example the plea for the application of sharia and the idea of an Islamic state and government (khilafa).

These ideas are met with little enthusiasm by Indonesian Muslims. This shows the majority of Muslims here prefer not to politicize Islam, to change the state ideology or to apply sharia. One salient critical remark for these groups is why do they not advocate, for example, law empowerment and the eradication of corruption.

Do these sound like un-Islamic themes? The answer is of course no. If they persist in politicizing Islam, neglecting important national issues and social problems, their struggle and movement will remain exclusive and will become trapped in the formalism and symbolism of religion.

If fundamentalist Muslims approach the sources of Islam literally, regardless of the sociohistorical context of their revelation, liberal-secular Muslims tend to interpret these sources liberally. They rise up to the surface as a synthesis for religious discourse of the fundamentalists. This new wave of Islamic liberalism only touches a small percent of its intended audiences and gains few members.

The emergence of Jaringan Islam Liberal (JIL) and Jaringan Intelektual Muda Muhammadiyah (JIMM), for example, is not regarded as a viable alternative Islamic movement. Presided over by young intellectuals and inspired by Western-oriented thoughts, these liberal factions often issue controversial Islamic statements and thoughts.

As a result, they have in the past become engaged in polemic with top figures from the country's two largest Islamic social organizations, NU and Muhammadiyah. Some figures maintain these liberal organizations must be cleansed of liberal activists and their influences, who are accused of being agents of westernization and secularization. Their religious thoughts are therefore exclusive and appear controversial to many.

The facts suggest that new ideas cannot be disseminated by controversial methods. Liberalism thus seems to run very slowly. This is an urban, elite phenomenon that cannot effectively reach grassroots Muslims, most of whom live in rural areas.

Between these two poles, what position should Muslims take and what ideal identity should be constructed by them? Muslims should take a middle position. They have to confirm their moderate and progressive identity. This must be done in order to repair the image of Islam in the wake of the string of terrorist attacks that have been erroneously and thoughtlessly attributed to Islam.

Religious moderation is seen as a panacea to the rise of radicalism and extremism. Moderate Muslims will provide the space for dialog and the sharing of ideas among people connected by a collective interest.

Indonesia has been "destined" to be a multireligious, cultural and ethnic state. This is a fact that must be instilled in our minds.

And it is in this context that the jargon of Islam as a rahmatan lil alamin (blessing for the universe) finds its most actual and clearest manifestation. Islam should not only be a blessing for its followers, but also spread love, peace and mercy for all people.

The writer is a lecturer and researcher in the Mediation Center at the State Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN) in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara. He can be reached at sier1975@yahoo.com.