The seeds of radicalism

The seeds of radicalism

From Koran Tempo

Former president Abdurrahman Wahid said that the rise in Islamic radicalism in Indonesia was mostly due to the fact that many Muslims had an insufficient knowledge of their religion. He said there were two reasons for this radicalism.

First, the majority of Indonesian Muslims are moderate. They are a group oriented toward the local culture. Second, they have a shallow understanding and consciousness of the religion. This condition will continue in Indonesia.

Indonesian Muslims generally learn the Koran literally without questioning the hidden meaning of divine revelation. In other words, they learn the religion in depth.

As a matter of fact, Islam has been developing for centuries, bringing about different schools of thought. Islam has been embraced by different nations around the world and has, in the process, been widely enriched throughout history in terms of interpretations of the Koran and the Hadiths.

If this theory is correct, Indonesia will become a fertile ground for Islamic radicalism. This is really dangerous because radicalism is perceived to be synonymous with terrorism.

The shallow understanding and consciousness of religion is partly due to mistakes committed by religious leaders in guiding their followers. How can religious leaders guide their group in an optimal way when Islamic teachers and kyai prefer to involve themselves in politics?

Therefore, if radicalism is to be avoided, all systems related to learning Islam should be improved. This is purely the task of the Islamic leaders.

ADHI LAKSMANA

Bogor, West Java