Ulil launches 'Menjadi Muslim Liberal'

Ulil launches 'Menjadi Muslim Liberal'

Dozens of activists representing a variety of faiths attended
on Tuesday evening the book launch of Menjadi Muslim Liberal
(Becoming a liberal Muslim) by the noted young Muslim
intellectual and co-founder of the Liberal Islamic Network (JIL),
Ulil Abshar-Abdalla.

The 201-page book is a collection of Ulil's essays that have
been published in several respected media, and includes his essay
Menyegarkan Kembali Pemikiran Agama (Revitalizing religious
thought), which appeared in Kompas daily.

This essay enraged fundamentalist groups, who then issued a
death fatwa for Ulil.

The author did not attend the launch of his book, which was
published by JIL in cooperation with the Freedom Institute and
Nalar Publishing, as he is pursuing a doctorate at Boston
University in the United States.

The launch was marked by an in-depth discussion on Ulil's
thoughts by several speakers -- all highly regarded among Muslim
academia -- such as former president Abdurrahman Wahid, scholars
Jalaludin Rahmat and Yudi Latif, and women's rights activist
Maria Ulfah Anshor. -- A. Junaidi