=============================================== IBRAHIM ISA'S - FOCUS ON MUI-'FATWA', 8 .08.'05 =============================================== NU criticizes controversial MUI edicts The impact of MUI fatwas on freedom of religion in Indonesia Preachers told to support controversial MUI edicts =============================================== August 6, 2005 NU criticizes controversial MUI edicts The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Bandung/Surabaya More criticism has been levied against the controversial edicts issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), this time from the world's largest Muslim organization, Nahdhatul Ulama (NU), which has around 40 million members. NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi asked the council to consider the effects of its edicts in the context of civil society, interfaith relations and nationhood, as "we live in a diverse society and this country is not an Islamic state." "Any process of fusing Islamic law with state law must be within the framework of the Constitution and the prevailing regulations," he told a media conference at NU headquarters in Central Jakarta on Friday. Hasyim added that the MUI should also define the terms pluralism, secularism and liberalism, which the MUI banned in its edicts, as there seemed to be differing perceptions on these terms. The MUI recently issued 11 edicts, one of which states that Islamic interpretations based on liberalism, secularism and pluralism "contradict Islamic teachings". Joint prayers performed with people of other faiths are also banned, and saying "Amen" to prayers led by a non-Muslim is stated to be haram (forbidden under Islamic law). The edicts also declare the Ahmadiyah sect to be a heretical movement and its followers to be murtad (apostates), while interfaith marriages are also declared to be haram. Hasyim said that as joint prayers are a fact of life in a plural society, the only unacceptable thing would be for a Muslim to pray in the name of "another religion's God." He also condemned last month's attack on Ahmadiyah by a hard-line group, saying that violence was not compatible with Islam, even if Ahmadi beliefs were not in line with Islamic teachings. "The important thing is to adopt stances having regard to the social context. We've been living side by side with other religions anyway." While the chairman of the MUI, Sahal Mahfudh was from NU, Hasyim said that the MUI was not comprised of ulema from the NU alone. "We would ask non-Muslims not to be upset with the edicts as they are only aimed at Muslims, and are not the law of the land." Despite the criticisms, the MUI is gearing up to promote its edicts in the regions. Some ulemas in the regions have even started to include the MUI edicts in their sermons. Preacher Heddy Muhammad in Bandung, West Java, for instance, urged Muslims not to be trapped into liberalism and pluralism as Islam had its own rules set out in the Koran and Sunna. Meanwhile in Surabaya, East Java, ulema in the two biggest mosques, Al Akbar and Al Falah, said the MUI had not yet forwarded them copies of the edicts or contacted them to explain the edicts. "Even if they do, we will see first whether the content is suitable or not. If not, we will not promote them," said Zuhro, who is in charge of the Al Akbar mosque. Meanwhile, several Islamic conservative groups in Jakarta defended the MUI on Friday, saying that the edicts had not been railroaded through by a few conservative ulemas on the council, as the critics contended, but had rather been based on a consensus. Gathered at the Al Azhar mosque in South Jakarta, the groups also demanded on Friday that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ban the Islamic Liberal Network (JIL), which is one of the strongest critics of the MUI.
-------------------------------------------------- The impact of MUI fatwas on freedom of religion in Indonesia Muhamad Ali, Hawaii, Jakarta Post, 8.8.05 The fatwas (edicts) issued by the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) concerning intra and inter-religious issues in the country have generated concerns and criticisms from other scholars and the public, and clearly demonstrates that there is still a semantic and intellectual gap among the religious elites themselves about how to deal with religious diversity and freedom. Religious freedom does not seem to have won over the minds of many religious elites, or for that matter, the public in general. Prof. Abdel Fattah Amor, dean of the faculty of law at the University of Tunis, has rightly put it, saying that each religion has a tendency to consider that it is the sole guardian of truth and is duty bound to behave accordingly, an attitude which is not always conducive to inter-religious tolerance. Furthermore, each religion may be tempted to fight against whatever it defines as deviant either within its own faith or at its boundaries, which is equally unlikely to encourage internal religious tolerance. The MUI fatwas that prohibit interfaith prayer, interfaith marriage, interfaith inheritance, religious pluralism, liberalism, secularism, and Ahmadiyah, are largely counter-productive to the ideals of freedom of religion and religious tolerance when one strand of religious interpretation has to be introduced to public in order to attack other interpretations existing in the community. The edicts clearly contradict the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, one article of which states that "everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest this religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance." The edicts are also against the 1945 Constitution Chapter 29, that stipulates that the state ensures the freedom of every citizen to adhere any religion and to perform religious duties as required by their religion and faith. The recent edicts can also be understood to go against the Koranic verses: "Let there be no compulsion in religion, Truth stands out clear from Error" (Al-Baqarah, 256). MUI's close relationships with the government and its perceived and actual authority among the Muslim populace gives it strategic and important position, but this position should not be used to monopolize religious interpretation. A fatwa can have considerable implications for the attitude of many Muslims. Criticisms leveled by national Muslim leaders and the public against certain fatwas indicate that they are very much aware of the powerful role of such edicts on the minds and behavior of the Muslim community. A fatwa can influence followers to become violent and vandalistic. A fatwa that encourages intolerance can be used to justify the use of violence among religious followers. It is regrettable that one of the MUI ulemas once said that it was normal that some Muslims did not obey their edicts because the Koran and the Prophetic Sunnah itself have always been disobeyed too. Everybody knows, fatwas are opinions and not universally binding. So why has MUI shown such anti-pluralistic sentiments? Why has MUI chosen to show its power rather than its reason by not recognizing pluralism both within Islam itself and with other religions? Although fatwas are supposed to be flexible and can change according to circumstances, they are always not so on issues believed to for part of beliefs and rituals. However, it is socio-political contexts that have actually shaped such lack of flexibility and change. Some of the fatwas were issued in the context of inter-religious tensions and amidst the dilemma faced by the government in promoting religious tolerance. Thus, for MUI, the prohibition of inter-religious marriage, inter-faith prayer, or pluralism, has been aimed at maintaining what they perceive to be the identity and integrity of the Muslim community. Many Muslims have actually welcomed such anti-pluralist edicts. But there are quite a number of them who have not. MUI and many others simply do not comprehend pluralism, human rights, and freedom of expression. They have defined pluralism, liberalism, and secularism in their own ways, without understanding the complexity and diversity of the terms being used among different scholars. Thus there is still semantic gap and misunderstanding between MUI ulemas on the one hand and Muslim and non- Muslim scholars and institutions which have promoted pluralism, liberalism and secularism on the other. Therefore, MUI ulemas should do more listening and engage in more dialogue with various elements in Muslim and non-Muslim communities alike. Moreover, MUI should be aware of the fact that today MUI is only one among many Muslim organizations and individuals. MUI is not the only authoritative and influential institution in the Muslim community. Muslims have in fact become more diverse and plural in their understanding of religion. Globalization in media, education, and socio-cultural interaction has contributed to this diversification of Muslim beliefs and practices, which should be studied and discussed first. Any attempt to control such diversifying tendencies among Muslims will be counter-productive to intra-Muslim relationships and in many cases to inter-religious interactions as well. What is more disturbing is that MUI has not learned that Islam recognizes freedom of expression. Actually, there are some clerics in MUI, such as former MUI chairman, Hasan Basri, who saw religious harmony as their main priority. In 1997 KH Hasan Basri said, for example, "Being conscious that a harmonious condition among Indonesian citizens is expected by many parties, MUI as the serving organization of clerics is strongly committed to participate in realizing such a condition. For MUI, the improvement in the harmonious life of religious communities is one of its priorities." This is the priority that MUI should be focusing on. The writer is a lecturer at the State Islamic University (UIN), Jakarta, and is now pursuing his PhD in History at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu under the East-West Center Fellowship. He can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------- Preachers told to support controversial MUI edicts The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Despite the ongoing controversy surrounding the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI)'s edicts against secularism, pluralism and liberalism, the Indonesian Council for Islamic Propagation (DDII) will fully support the MUI in its "war on deviant thoughts", a top preacher said on Sunday. DDII leader Cholil Ridwan, who is also one of MUI's 11 executives, said the propagation council would ask thousands of preachers under its supervision nationwide to use their sermons during Friday prayers to spread the edicts. "People who are against the edicts are munafikin (hypocrites) and are more dangerous than kafir (infidels), since they attack from inside Islam," he said over the weekend at a forum on the edicts. Despite DDII's influential role, a preacher does not need a license from the group to preach. Cholil said the MUI and DDII saw no need for further discussion on the edicts. "We do not need further dialog, what we need to do is spread the edicts to everybody in Indonesia," he said. "We are tired of talking." He defended MUI's actions, citing several Christian groups that issued similar guidelines against secularism and pluralism. "In this respect, the issuance of the MUI edicts is a bit late," he said. The MUI issued 11 edicts during its congress last month, including one that bans pluralism, which it defined as a principle that considers all religions equally valid, with heaven comprising people of different faiths. Throughout the three-hour forum, Cholil, who also heads the Indonesian Pesantren Cooperative Board, referred to secularism, pluralism and liberalism by the acronym Sipilis, which is also the Indonesian word for the sexually transmitted disease syphilis. "We have to vaccinate our congregation to prevent them from this sipilis virus," he said. "People who follow these deviations should no longer call themselves Muslims." During the forum, he singled out the Islamic Liberal Network (JIL), which has often criticized the MUI, as being heretical and urged those in attendance to spread a handout he had prepared. "Copy this and hand it out to people so everybody knows that these (JIL) are the people who are against MUI's edicts," he said. The handout consisted of copies of media clippings, including a newspaper article on calls to dismantle the JIL and a letter that accuses JIL members of drinking alcohol, not praying properly and approving of premarital sex. Some of those in attendance said that even though the edicts were not legally binding, they were prepared to follow them. "The ulema are our religious leaders, if they have declared something as forbidden, then we will follow. I do not want anyone in my congregation to be contaminated by those thoughts," said Mujahidin, who preaches at a mosque in Depok, West Java. The country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, was the latest group to criticize the MUI over its edicts, saying the council had failed to take into account the diversity and plurality of Indonesian society. *** [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Milis Wanita Muslimah Membangun citra wanita muslimah dalam diri, keluarga, maupun masyarakat. 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