[ppi] [ppiindia] Re: Creeping towards Islamization in indonesia

** Milis Nasional Indonesia ppi-india **
     Tulisan Paul Marshal ada benarnya tapi banyak slahnya - terutama=20
interpretasi tentang gerakan Islamisasi.=20
I hope my comments below will reach him:

    The following needs to be rectified:

1. The dropping of some sentences of what is popularly known as the=20
Jakarta Charter is becuase Islamic leaders at the time of=20
independence saw the need for unity. So it was dropped by them, not=20
by opposition from other groups;
2. Legislation upholding the majority of their rights is NOT=20
islamization. Education law requiring that is only Muslims allowed to=20
teach about Islam to muslim students is logical and fair. Why? Up to=20
present time Christian schools have christians teaching about Islam=20
to muslim students - to be exact the teaching is more=20
misinterpretation about Islam - this has been used to abuse and=20
misrepresent Islam.  Why, can a muslim teach about Christianity, the=20
way he saw it, to christian students in the United States, for example
3. Many Christian educators object this because they really not only=20
do education but behind the scene they also want to teach religion=20
and to convert as many muslim students as possible.
4. Lasykar Jihad killing Christians in the Moluccas? The way we saw=20
it, they are there to help fellow muslims being persecuted and killed=20
FIRST by their fellow christians. Muslims have been sl;aughtered and=20
hunted by christians in the Moluccas. If muslims are not ill-treated,=20
they are harmless. So the blame is not actually with the muslims but=20
with both muslims and christians.=20
  I am a moderate muslimah living in a complex world but appreciate=20
differences and respect others. Some of my closest friends are=20
christians - but I know my rights. Foreign media tend to discredit=20
muslims - after all they are steered by the Jews....
   For me there is no need to have a muslim state - and as long long=20
as the people are good muslims, why the need to have a special=20
state?  Indonesia is a haven to christian and Hindu minority - look=20
what happens to Muslim minority in the Philippines, in Thaialnd and=20
in Europe????? We are more civilized than even the Europeans...=20
   Well Marshall, be sport and be fair - if not to muslims then to=20
your self.=20=20


--- In ppiindia@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "amartien" <amartien@xxxx> wrote:
>=20
>=20
> The Weekly Standard, April 5, 2004
> Volume 09, Number 29
> The Southeast Asian Front=20
>=20
> Creeping towards Islamization in Indonesia
> by Paul Marshall=20
>=20
> THE STRUGGLE AGAINST extremist Islam is not only military and=20
diplomatic, it is also a war of ideas. In this battle there are few=20
more important countries than Indonesia, whose 230 million people=20
make it by far the largest Muslim country and democracy. It is also=20
home to the largest concentration of Muslims developing an=20
understanding of Islam at home in a democratic and diverse world, and=20
committed to resisting the reactionary versions being exported from=20
Saudi Arabia.=20
>=20
> However, the country remains under threat from Islamist radicals,=20
and its impending elections provide ample opportunity for extremist=20
mischief. Its problem is that the radicals are committed, organized,=20
have a clear vision, and are often well funded, and so can intimidate=20
and outmaneuver their larger but more hesitant Muslim and nationalist=20
opponents.
>=20
> Islam came to Indonesia via merchants and preachers, not=20
conquerors. A moderate Sufi style took hold in a largely Hindu=20
culture adept at taking the edge off incoming religions. Recent polls=20
show that only about 14 percent of the population could be called=20
Islamist on even the most expansive definition.
>=20
> In Western lists of the world's Islamic leaders, we seldom find=20
Hasyim Muzadi or Ahmad Syafii Maarif. Yet they head two huge Muslim=20
social, religious, and educational organizations--Nahdlatul Ulama and=20
Muhammadiyah--that reach up to 50 million and 40 million people=20
respectively, more than the population oof any Arab country except=20
Egypt. They, and others such as Abdurrahman Wahid and Nurcholish=20
Madjid, are developing and propagating an understanding of Islam that=20
is creative and culturally attuned. They have studied in the West and=20
also in the major centers of Islamic learning in the Middle East, and=20
tend to resent being lectured on Islam by Arabs. Three of them have=20
told me that they find Islamists, whether homegrown or Arab, woefully=20
ignorant of Islamic texts and historic Islam, with little grasp of=20
Islam beyond a collection of laws.
>=20
> It should be noted that many Indonesian radical leaders have Arab=20
backgrounds, some stemming from a century-old influx from bin Laden's=20
home turf, the Hadramawt Valley on the Yemeni/Saudi border. And for=20
at least a decade, the Saudis have been pumping in money with the=20
goal of replacing Indonesia's Islam with their own strict Wahhabi=20
version.
>=20
> Despite Indonesia's moderate heritage, militant Islam is gaining=20
ground, and may make further advances this year. The Islamists are=20
trying four ways to impose their views. One is changing the=20
constitution to incorporate Islamic sharia law. Another is terrorism.=20
The third is piecemeal legislative change, and the fourth is=20
domination of towns and provinces where the militants can impose=20
their views through local support or by intimidation. The first two=20
are unlikely to come to anything. The last two--both forms of=20
creeping Islamization--are having more success.
>=20
> SO FAR, the constitutional route is blocked. Indonesia's 1945=20
independence constitution enshrined monotheism and morality as core=20
principles, but deliberately did not incorporate Islamic law. At the=20
time of independence, Islamists proposed an amendment, the "Jakarta=20
Charter," requiring all Muslims to follow sharia. The amendment was=20
defeated, prompting some of its proponents to launch an insurrection,=20
the Darul Islam movement, that was not put down until the 1950s.
>=20
> Following the collapse of the 32-year authoritarian Suharto regime=20
in 1998, Islamists renewed their campaign to enshrine the Charter.=20
Since this was a public effort, in full view of the Muslim and non-
Muslim population, it failed conspicuously--most Indonesians simply=20
do not want it. Back in the 1950s, parties supporting the Charter=20
garnered about 40 percent of the nnational vote, but in 2003 its=20
proponents chose not to bring it to a parliamentary vote because the=20
result would have humiliated them.
>=20
> The failure of this legal route has led to the growth of terrorist=20
groups such as Jemaah Islamiyah, which may have roots in Darul Islam.=20
These groups were active, usually against the country's large=20
Christian population, long before the October 2002 Bali nightclub=20
bombing brought them to world attention. In eastern Indonesia, on the=20
islands of Maluku and Sulawesi, ongoing fighting between Christians=20
and Muslims has left more than 10,000 dead and up to half a million=20
refugees. The groups also share bin Laden's view that Australia's=20
effort to "separate East Timor from Indonesia" is part of=20
an "international conspiracy by followers of the Cross." One of the=20
convicted Bali bombers, Amrozi bin Nurhasiym, says his goal is to=20
establish an Islamic state throughout Southeast Asia. Other militant=20
groups, such as Laskar Jihad and the Islamic Defenders Front, are=20
committed to the same end. (Yusuf Galan, one of the suspects of the=20
March 2004 Madrid bombing, is believed to have done terrorist=20
training in Indonesia.)
>=20
> The Indonesian government has tried and sentenced Jemaah Islamiyah=20
members for widespread bombings in 2000 as well as the nightclub=20
bombing in Bali, but it still downplays the extent of the terrorist=20
networks. Laskar Jihad, responsible for massacres of Christians in=20
the eastern areas, announced that it was disbanding but now seems to=20
be regrouping in Papua and Ceram. The International Crisis Group's=20
Sidney Jones believes that Jemaah Islamiyah has now splintered into=20
several hard-line factions. One of these, the Mujahedeen Kompak, is=20
active in Sulawesi. Another, the Republik Persatuan Islam Indonesia,=20
has been training in the Philippines.
>=20
> The government's response to terrorism has been weak. Abu Bakar=20
Bashir, widely regarded as the mastermind of Jemaah Islamiyah, was=20
convicted of treason and breaking immigration laws, but received only=20
a four-year sentence, far less than prosecutors had sought.=20
Subsequently, his treason conviction was tossed out, and on March 9,=20
2004, the Supreme Court, without explanation, reduced his immigration=20
sentence to 18 months. He will be released shortly and vows to=20
continue jihad against Islam's enemies. Indonesian vice president=20
Hamzah Haz visited Bashir in prison and defended him, accusing=20
America of being the real terrorist. Bashir's Islamic academy, Al-
Mukmin Ngruki, which produced 5 of the 11 key Bali bombers, is still=20
functioning.=20
>=20
> Despite the government's flaccid response, these movements cannot=20
take over the country. The real danger lies elsewhere, in the=20
creeping Islamization produced by legislative change and local=20
pressure. This is likely to be exacerbated as Indonesia goes through=20
a season of elections.
>=20
> THE MIND-NUMBING COMPLEXITY of Indonesia's electoral process makes=20
America's primaries look like a model of rationality. The simplified=20
version runs like this. On April 5, elections will be held for=20
parliament, for the 32 provincial legislatures, and for about 400=20
district-level bodies. The Electoral Commission has 30 days to=20
certify the results. Any party that can get 5 percent of the vote or=20
3 percent of the seats in the lower house can then nominate=20
candidates for the presidential and vice presidential elections due=20
on July 5. The Commission has to certify the result of this vote by=20
August 5. If, as seems likely, no ticket gets more than 50 percent of=20
the nationwide vote and at least 20 percent of the vote in half the=20
provinces, there must be a runoff between the two top tickets on=20
September 20, with the vote to be validated by October 5 and the=20
victors sworn in on October 20. The length of this process, combined=20
with the fragmentation and corruption of the political establishment,=20
provides plentiful opportunities for Islamists to exploit the=20
parliamentary and party system.
>=20
> Radicals have already proved adept at exploiting divisions within=20
the parliament. Like its elections, Indonesia's party system is=20
complex and fluid, but, broadly, there are two large nationalist=20
parties, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, led by=20
President Megawati Sukarnoputri, and Golkar, the party Suharto=20
created during his long rule. Neither has the votes to govern on its=20
own, so each must seek the support of the smaller parties that hold=20
the balance of power.=20
>=20
> As the price for their support, the small radical parties=20
demand "Islamic" legislation or strategic positions in the=20
government. Yusril Mahendra, whose Crescent Moon and Star party=20
received only 3 percent of the votes in the 1999 elections, has=20
become the spectacularly misnamed "minister of justice and human=20
rights." He is pushing reactionary legislation stipulating that only=20
Muslims may teach Islam to Muslims, even when their parents send them=20
to Christian schools, as is common. All schools with any Muslim=20
students would also be required to have mosques or their equivalent,=20
meaning that mosques would have to be built on the church grounds on=20
which many Christian schools sit.=20
>=20
> A proposed health bill would bar doctors from treating people of a=20
different religion. Other bills would forbid interreligious marriage.=20
The draft "Law on Inter-Religious Toleration" would require=20
people "to uphold the teachings and values of his respective=20
religion" and forbid views "not aligned with the principal teaching=20
of such religion." Speech or writing "repugnant...to a religion"=20
could bring a five-year sentence, as could words leading people not=20
to follow "any religion that is based on the belief in one God." The=20
state could force people by law to follow the decrees of a religious=20
teacher and forbid all religious dissent. Religions such as=20
Confucianism and animism would be banned entirely.
>=20
> Megawati has criticized these proposals, as have Madjid and=20
Nahdlatul Ulama and, to a degree, Muhammadiyah leaders. Former=20
Indonesian president and Nahdlatul Ulama head Wahid described=20
Mahendra to me as the equivalent of a Ku Klux Klan leader, and said=20
he should be fired immediately. Nevertheless, these bills make=20
headway because parties such as Golkar flirt with them in a search=20
for Islamist votes, while other legislators go along in order to=20
avoid the charge of being "against Islam." Then there is=20
intimidation: One high-ranking member of parliament says he=20
is "terrified" of the Islamists.
>=20
> Meanwhile, the conservative Council of Ulemas has supported the=20
bills, and other Muslim leaders are wobbly. Maarif, though=20
criticizing the proposals, still says he "wants them debated." Din=20
Syamsuddin, secretary general of the Council of Ulemas and probably=20
the next head of Muhammadiyah, told me "it is unwise to confront the=20
radicals--better to keep them inside." The moderates become a "silent=20
majority," with no clear leadership. So an Islamist drift continnues.
>=20
> RADICALS ARE ALSO taking the law into their own hands to enforce=20
sharia on a local level in Sulawesi, Sumatra, Eastern Java, Banten,=20
Flores, Sumba, and the Bandung area. They force women to wear hijabs,=20
threaten alcohol vendors, attack nightclubs, and at prayer times=20
force shops to close and cars to pull over or be stoned. South=20
Sulawesi has Islamic criminal laws on the books, though it has no=20
power to implement them. In March 2004, in Surabaya, Indonesia's=20
second largest city, with nearly 3 million people, thousands=20
demonstrated for the introduction of sharia.
>=20
> Non-Muslims are coming under increased threat. In recent weeks, a=20
bomb was discovered in a church in Medan, while two churches closed=20
near Surabaya after death threats. Churches in Bekasi, outside=20
Jakarta, have been torn apart by mobs. In 2002 the Jakarta government=20
issued "Letter of Decision No. 137," which provides for closing=20
churches if local residents object to their existence. In Jakarta a=20
dozen churches have been closed in the last three months, often after=20
pressure on local Muslims by outsiders. On Lompok island, after=20
radicals destroyed 18 churches, the local government gave permission=20
to rebuild only one.=20
>=20
> There is also frequent violence. There were 13 bombings in Sulawesi=20
in February, and a bomb factory blew up in Jakarta last week. In all=20
this, moderate Muslims are being threatened. Ulil Abshar-Abdallah, a=20
founder of the group Liberal Islam, was hit by a fatwa death sentence=20
by west Javanese clerics because of his writings.
>=20
> THE UNITED STATES has taken notice of Indonesia's terrorism, but=20
less so of the country's creeping Islamization. President Bush has=20
promised $157 million to help improve education in the country's=20
schools, including the Islamic boarding schools called pesantrens.=20
Money is sorely needed, especially to counter Saudi influence. But=20
most pesantrens are run by Nahdlatul Ulama and already teach moderate=20
Islam. With Indonesia's patterns of corruption and intimidation, the=20
money could leach away to radicals. As an alternative, Wahid suggests=20
equipping moderates to prevail in the battle of ideas. Let them tell=20
Indonesians why the extremists are bad Muslims. Instead of receiving=20
translations of Saudi works, he says, Indonesians should translate=20
their own works into Arabic.
> There are many reasons to care about Indonesia. It is by far the=20
largest country in Southeast Asia, a struggling democracy, and an oil=20
and gas exporter that sits astride the world's busiest shipping=20
lanes. In President Bush's words, Indonesia's success "as a=20
pluralistic and democratic state is essential to the peace and=20
prosperity of this region." Beyond that, Islam will need the=20
influence of moderates such as Madjid, Wahid, and Abshar-Abdullah if=20
the Muslim world is to avoid sliding into a dark age that imperils us=20
all.
>=20
> Paul Marshall is senior fellow at Freedom House's Center for=20
Religious Freedom. Among his recent books is Islam at the Crossroads.
> =A9 Copyright 2004, News Corporation, Weekly Standard, All Rights=20
Reserv
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