Refleksi : Radicalism menjadi tantangan apa yang dikatakan oleh Fauzi Gunawan, Menteri Dalam Negeri, tentang pluralisme. Kalau pluralisme dalam kepercayaan tidak adanya toleransi maka dari segi etnik pun sama halnya. Para petinggi dan kaum bangsawan neo-Mojopahit tahu hal ini, maka oleh karena itu selama ini mereka sibuk kumpul harta, agar kelak bila terjadi sesuatu keambrukan, maka mereka sudah siap untuk hidup di alam nirwana dengan penuh senyum manis.Yang lain silahkan gigit jari, menyesal kenapa mau ditipu dan menyebabkan generasi berikut lebih dimiskin-melaratkan.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/08/26/radicalism-persists-schools-despite-moderation-efforts.html Radicalism persists in schools despite moderation efforts The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 08/26/2010 8:58 AM | Headlines Religious radicalism in schools lives, despite efforts by the government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to reverse the trend. Researcher and women's activist Ciciek Farha said many public school teachers preach radicalism - with or without the knowledge of their superiors. Ciciek and other activists conducted a study of state high schools in seven cities from 2007 to 2008: Jakarta, Padang, Cianjur, Cilacap, Pandeglang, Yogyakarta and Jember. They discovered that radical religious ideas that spread during extra-curricular religious activities had influenced young people's behavior. For example, certain girls refused physical contact with family members whom they considered unclean and insulted their mothers for not wearing jilbab, or Islamic headscarves. "A mother told me that her daughter had forced and terrorized her into wearing a jilbab," Ciciek said, adding that some of girls she spoke to performed wudhu, or ablution, to "cleanse" themselves after coming into physical contact with their families. Extra-curricular religious activities have become a strategic tool for national and transnational radical and conservative groups mentors from outside the school system can use the activities to incorporate their ideas into student materials, she added. The findings showed there were extra-curricular paramilitary trainings in schools in West Java and other provinces, where students recited an oath similar to the one used by Egyptian jihadist group Muslim Brotherhood, sometimes with the knowledge of school officials. "These intensive, systematic and organized movements hinder efforts to bring about gender equality and open-mindedness in Indonesia," she said. She added that concerned NGOs, with support from the government, have taken steps to curb growing radicalism in schools. "The process of advocacy has been carried out," she said. "Many elements in the society view this as a problem." The activists said they have discussed tolerance with key figures, including Islamic preachers, teachers and civil organizations. "We call them intermediary groups because they have people to whom they can spread their message," she told The Jakarta Post. Religious Affairs Ministry official Imam Tholkhah said the ministry had created programs to instill multiculturalism and tolerance in teachers. "We have organized seminars and workshops since 2007 to build multicultural understanding," he said, adding that teachers could use the ideas in their lessons. Tholkhah, who is the ministry's director for Islamic education in schools, added that the ministry had distributed multiculturalism handbooks to Islamic studies teachers and would launch a moderate Islamic reference book with anti-violent messages that emphasized respecting people from different cultures. "The teachers will design their own modules based on this reference book," he told the Post. The challenge in fighting radicalism is the mixed qualifications of the state's 180,000 Islamic religious studies teachers, he said. Only 50 percent met requirements, Tholkhah said, adding that ideally, the government should provide college degrees to 100,000 of its teachers to improve quality. (gzl) ++++ http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/08/21/discourse-islamic-bylaws-may-not-harm-tolerance-pluralism-minister.html Discourse: Islamic bylaws may not harm tolerance, pluralism: Minister Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post | Sat, 08/21/2010 10:04 AM | Headlines Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi has seen a growing trend among regional leaders in the passing of bylaws aimed at forcing the public to strictly uphold Islamic teachings. The Jakarta Post's Rendi A. Witular recently talked with Gamawan, once a stout advocate of sharia-based bylaws when serving as regent of Solok in West Sumatra, over the issue. Here are the excerpts of the interview: Question: Can you comment on the growing trend of regional bylaws advocating strict Islamic teachings? Answer: If the majority population of a province or regency is Muslim or Christian or Hindu, I think there will not be any issue when local leaders want to issue bylaws that require their majority to be more disciplined in applying the religious teachings. However, having such bylaws will mean that several requirements need to be fulfilled before the issuance, to avoid igniting religious disharmony. First, they can only be applied in a homogenous society. They should not discriminate the minorities and cause public disturbance. Second, the bylaws must also comply with higher regulations and laws, and should not depict sharia words. But at the implementation level, such bylaws tend to discriminate the minorities. How do you respond to this? Only a religious-group majority, targeted by the bylaws, must comply with them. People with different religions to those regulated by the bylaws must be excluded. In cases related to religious bylaws in West Sumatra, there are no measures taken against the minorities to force them to comply with such bylaws. What is actually igniting the growing trend in the issue of sharia-based bylaws by local leaders? The trend stretches back to 2001 after the full implementation of the regional autonomy law. Regional leaders have more say and authority in managing their own territory, and structural and commanding relation with the central government is coming unstuck. In some cases, the regional leaders are forced by the public to issue the sharia-based bylaws or they won't gain second-term votes. But let me underline this, such bylaws are not for the minorities. When I was the regent of Muslim-majority Solok, the people there requested me to issue such bylaws in order for them to be more faithful to their religious teachings. It's unlike in Hindu-majority Bali where minorities are also requested to comply with the local bylaw related to the Nyepi celebration. There, Muslims must also stay home and halt all activities during the celebration. And I don't see similar bylaws applied in any other places. How can the central government ensure that religious-based bylaws will not weaken tolerance and pluralism? People can report their opposition to any religious bylaws to their councilors. Based on the existing laws, bylaws cannot be passed unless they are endorsed by councilors. If no progress is seen at this level, the public can report it to the governors or to my ministry. But there are no legal tools for the governor and us to force the regencies or municipalities to revoke the bylaws other than by appealing them through recommendation notes. The central government can only revoke bylaws related to the business and economy because there is already a closed list of what is allowed and prohibited. In order to anticipate the issue of bylaws that can disturb religious harmony, there is a regulation requesting regents or mayors to first consult with their governors before passing the bylaws. But the governors cannot officially ban the issue, they can only provide recommendations. My ministry has actually received several reports of religious-based bylaws that may weaken tolerance and pluralism. But we can only appeal to the regions not to proceed with such bylaws. From what I've experienced, there is actually no opposition to such bylaws from the community in general. I think it's just people in Jakarta who are making a fuss out of it.
