Understanding religious pluralism

Muhamad Ali Lecturer Islamic State University (UIN) Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta muhamad@hawaii.edu

In the month of Ramadhan, which will be officially ended on Thursday, Muslims exhibit unusual proximity to their holy book. They read it, learn its teachings, and attempt to apply them in their daily lives. It is indeed a conducive time for learning the Koran more thoroughly and seriously. One of the values in need of particular attention as part of this process is religious pluralism.

It is particularly important for Muslims to deal with the challenge of religious diversity. This is so partly because there are still some who claim to be Muslims but who also show hatred for other religions and are even guilty of intolerance. Worse, this exclusive understanding is claimed to be based on the Koran.

In dealing with the Koran, Islamic fundamentalists deny any personal or historical frame of reference in the first instance. While they will insist that normative Islamic morality is to be judged solely by the Koran and the Sunnah (the Prophet's exemplary tradition), they will throughout their discourse simultaneously imply that we are the only ones who have correctly understood it.

In response to such an exclusive interpretation, Muslim moderates promote an inclusive, pluralist kind of understanding, which is more relevant today. At the outset, the moderates believe that the right to interpret the Koran must be given to anybody possessing knowledge and responsibility, while at the same time they insist that human interpretation is subject to mistakes. Only God truly understands what He means by His verses, and humans will have at most the capacity to approach His truth and never reach His ultimate truth.

In addition, the moderates interpret the Koran and the prophetic tradition in a contextual manner. There are some things that are permanent, such as the idea of the Oneness of God and some clear rituals, but others change according to time and place. In Indonesia, for example, Muslims should not necessarily apply amputation in the penal law or the idea of dhimmy, that non-Muslims are regarded as second-class citizens so that they have to pay the poll-tax and other laws specific to the Arabian culture.

In relation with non-Muslims, Muslims should show a more positive, inclusive, and pluralistic attitude, rather than negative-thinking and exclusivism. Religious diversity should be celebrated, rather than condemned, based on the contextual interpretation of some Koranic verses which stipulate that there is no compulsion in religion and that if God wishes to make us all have the one identity,

He would have done it, but He does not do that. Instead, God has created human beings in different classes, tribes, nations, and faiths to allow them to compete for goodness and rightness (fastabiqul khairat). What counts valuable to God seems not merely a good, sincere faith, but also good deeds in serving humanity.

The People of the Book, as recipients of divine revelation, were recognized as part of the ummah. Addressing all the prophets, the Koran says, "And surely this, your community is a single ummah." The establishment of a single ummah would also mean the establishment of a single humanity with diverse religious expressions. The Chapter of Medina (Mitsaq al-Madina) indicates how Muslims, Christians and Jews have the same rights and obligations in one community to protect and help each other.

The Koranic recognition of religious pluralism is not only evident from the acceptance of the other as equally legitimate socio-religious communities but also from an acceptance of the spirituality of the other and salvation through otherness. The preservation of the sanctity of the places of worship alluded to in the Koran was not merely in order to preserve the integrity of a multireligious society in the manner which contemporary states may want to protect places of worship because of the role that they play in the culture of a particular people. Rather, it was because God, who represented the ultimate for many of these religions, and who is acknowledged to be above the diverse outward religio-cultural expressions of that service, was being worship therein.

If the Koran is to be the word of a just God, as Muslims sincerely believe, then there is no alternative to the recognition of the sincerity and righteous deeds of others and their recompense on the Day of Judgment. There is no use in Muslims displaying prejudice, negative-thinking of others, let alone restricting the salvation and mercy of God to only one single religious community.

God has created humankind from one male and one female, and has made of them tribes and nations so that they may know each other. In the eyes of God, the noblest among humankind is the one who is most virtuous. Hence, the idea of competing in rightness should be regarded seriously.

If God is one and if religion originates with Him, why is it that humankind is not truly united in belief? In response to this, the Koran urges an attitude of patience and humility. This question is to be left to God who will inform humankind about it on the Day of Judgment.

To have such an inclusive understanding, Muslims should reopen the door of ijtihad (creative thinking) because we will always be confronted with new dilemmas and challenges based on new knowledge and deeper awareness. Religious diversity is one the challenges that Muslims should face and find answers to. The Koran acknowledges the fact of religious diversity as the will of God.

The month of Ramadhan and the Idul Fitri is an excellent occasion for Muslims to rethink Islam in order to understand and respect the other religions. Religious bigotry and fanaticism have no strong basis in the Koran and therefore need to be reduced, if not eliminated, in order that Muslims and other religious communities can live in peace and harmony.

The writer is currently pursuing a PhD in history and is a fellow at East-West Center fellow in Hawaii, USA.