[ppi] [ppiindia] Islamic edicts rattle Indonesians

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**http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/GH27Ae03.html



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)



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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