Asia Times, Aug 27, 2005
Islamic edicts rattle Indonesians
By Kalinga Seneviratne
JAKARTA - Ever since Indonesia's highest Islamic authority, the Indonesian Ulama
Council (MUI), issued 11 fatwas or edicts against liberal Islam, a fierce debate has
begun raging in the world's most populous Muslim nation on what constitutes an
Islamic society.
Though Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim nation, in these once-Hindu and
Buddhist societies the practice of Islam is colored by the liberalism of the older faiths.
Many urban middle-class Indonesians define their liberal interpretation of Islam as
"secular". But, MUI's fatwas have thrown a direct challenge to both the government
and to liberal Muslims in this country of 200 million people, of which 88% follow the
Islamic faith while 8% is Christian and 3% Hindu or Buddhist. The 11 edicts, issued in
late July, include one that states that Islamic interpretations based on liberalism,
secularism and pluralism "contradict Islamic teachings".
Also banned are inter-faith prayers performed with people of other religions and the
intonation of amen to prayers that are led by a non-Muslim, a ritual deemed to be
haram (forbidden under Islamic law) as also are interfaith marriages.
Analysts say that MUI's stance is a reaction to the aggressive proselytizing by
foreign-funded Christian evangelical sects in the country in recent years and the
onslaught of globalize Western culture coming in through media channels and
non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
"Challenges for the Muslims do not come from Christian evangelism only, but also
others, such as the proliferation of pornography, gambling, the spread of religious
liberalism, pluralism and secularism," argues Mustofa Kamil Ridwan, a researcher at
the Islamic think-tank, the Habibie Center in Jakarta.
In an Inter Press Service interview, Ridwan said suspicions were being created by the
activities of some Western-funded NGOs that were "using Islam as their basis but
with questionable implementation that is contradictory to the true teachings of Islam -
and sometimes too radical".
One such NGO is the Jaringan Islam Liberal (Liberal Islamic Network) an organization
that is located within Institut Studi Arus Informasi (Center for Studies on Information
Flows) and plays an important role in spreading ideas on democratic reformation in
Indonesia.
Like other NGOs, funded by Western donors, this one, too, is in the forefront of
campaigns against attempts by the government to enact laws to restrict the spread of
pornography, gambling and night clubs.
"Most progressive Muslim thinkers would not be very happy to be portrayed as
liberals," suggested Ade Armando, a member of the Association of Indonesian
Moslem Scholars.
"I think the term reformist will be more appropriate to refer to progressive groups that
try to reinterpret the Islamic teaching in a more contextual approach, that
unfortunately challenges the traditional Islamic teachings by the ulamas [clerics],"
Armando said.
Ridwan explained that from the "conservative point of view liberalism is really a
challenge" because of the fear "liberalism will make their children and the Muslim
community leave Islamic values they uphold highly".
MUI has asked non-Muslims not to be upset with the July edicts as they are only
aimed at Muslims, and are not the law of the land.
But MUI is gearing up to promote its edicts in regions where people are more
religious, conservative and impoverished. It is these poor communities that have
become the target of Christian evangelical groups for proselytizing and some ulamas
have reacted by including the MUI edicts in their sermons.
Armando argues that it is wrong to portray those who support the ulamas as radicals
who believe in using violence to achieve their aims. "They believe it is their sacred
duty to create a new Indonesia as a respectable Islamic country," he explained.
"Many [MUI] groups are working in the institution-building level. They introduce
alternative models of schools - modern Islamic schools which differ from the
madrassas - new Islamic banking system, special novels for Islamic youth, and they
also publish magazines, new media - such as CD, CD-ROM, VCD - that teaches
Islamic values," Armando said.
Yet, Hasyim Muzadi, chairman of Nahdhatul Ulama (NU), which has about 40 million
members and is considered the world's largest Muslim organization, has warned the
MUI that its edicts may have a detrimental impact of the development of a civil society
in Indonesia.
Muzadi has asked the ulamas to define precisely what they mean by interfaith
relations and nationhood, as "we live in a diverse society and this country is not an
Islamic state".
Muslim scholar Ahmad Syafii Maarif, a former chairman of Indonesia's second largest
Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, also warned that the edicts may encourage
radical groups to take the law into their own hands.
"Although fatwas are not binding, radical groups who have a thirst for power will make
use of them for their own interests. It is as if they have been given religious
justification,'' he told the Jakarta Post.
But, Ridwan argues that the "edict functions as a provision for the ummah [Muslim
community] to decide what they would do" and the ummah itself has the "the last say
for themselves".
Thus, the MUI's fatwas play a very important role in the ummah decision-making
process. "With the fatwa the ummah feel they have strong hands and are more certain
of overcoming the challenges in the midst of very uncertain situation and full of
upheaval,'' he told IPS.
Armando blamed the regimes of former presidents Abdurrahman Wahid (a liberal
Islamic thinker) and Megawati Sukarnoputri (a woman) for allowing reformists within
the Muslim community in Indonesia to gain in popularity.
"Very progressive books were being published in these past several years and
progressive radio talk shows were launched. And in these movements, the forbidden
organizations [during the Suharto era] dared to also openly surface," he noted.
"These developments, I believe, provoked reactions from the conservative groups. And
now, they see SBY [President Yudoyuano] as a new president that they can perceive
of as an ally or godfather.
"They [conservatives] also see these movements as being provoked by the activities
of [Christian] evangelists."
(Inter Press Service)
Copyright 2005 Asia Times Online Ltd. All rights reserved.
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