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Thu, 06 Sep 2001

JP/Syafii declares stance on Islamic law

Syafii declares stance on Islamic law

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Chairman of the second largest Muslim organization Muhammadiyah, Syafii Ma'arif, opposed some Muslim organizations' demand for the inclusion of the Jakarta Charter in the 1945 Constitution, which means full implementation of Islamic law for Muslims in the country.

Syafii said that inserting the Jakarta Charter into the Constitution would only provoke disharmony among people in this diverse country.

"Implementing the Jakarta Charter will only add more burden to the country which is now on the brink of collapse," he told reporters at his office in the State University of Yogyakarta (UNY).

He said that the demand was also not popular and that he believed most people would oppose it.

The groups, which are demanding the implementation of the Jakarta Charter, have mistakenly chosen the strategy to promote Islamic values, according to Syafii.

"I believe that even members of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) will not support the demand," he said. "If any of MPR members do support the idea the number may be around ten percent of all Assembly members," he said.

The Assembly has 700 members.

"Although the number of Muslims in the country reaches more than half of the total population, their political preferences are varied," he said.

"Many Muslims voted for PKI (the banned Indonesian Communist Party) during the 1955 general election," he cited as an example.

Syafii charged that the demand by some Muslim organizations for the inclusion of the Jakarta Charter in the Constitution merely reflected the organizations' goal to politicize religions. "This is a betrayal of the teachings of the religion itself."

"These groups only care about the symbolism, not the essence of Islamic teachings," he said.

He believed that most Muhammadiyah members also disagreed with the demand.

"Maybe one or two Muhammadiyah members support the idea of the inclusion of the Jakarta Charter in the Constitution. But, as long as they use their common sense, I'm sure they will oppose the demand," he said. (44)