http://en.republika.co.id/berita/en/resonance/16/09/27/oe5s5h414-islam-has-been-curbed-by-its-own-elite
Tuesday, 27 September 2016, 17:36 WIB Islam has been curbed by its own elite Red: Reiny Dwinanda Republika/Daan Ahmad Syafii Maarif REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, In Javanese, the word "telikung" given the prefix "me-" means "binding foot and hand" until it could not move freely, whether its human, animal, nor something abstract, like religion, ideology, etc. Islam has been a hostage, Islam is being curbed by its own elite who has stopped to think creatively. As a result, this religion has fossilized, frozen, unable to give solutions to the social humanitarian problems. As for the Quranic dictum about prophetic mission as "blessing to the whole universe" (surah al-Anbiya:107) has been sterile in the hands of Muslim elite who were dishonest, less creative, and less initiative This dictum was cited repeatedly by many people, but without a true and deep understanding. This dictum has lost its dynamics fresh understanding which is so powerful due to the curb in the theological suits, political views, tribalism and sectarianism. True, in theory, Islam is a religion of justice and true brotherhood as an expression of the teachings of monotheism in the collective life of man. In reality, profane temptations in the form of goods and power surrounded the elite (the authorities and the clerics) in long term has made the people merely like a chicken who lost its head. The latest evidence lies on the land of Syria and Iraq, it's like a piece of hell transferred to the Earth. The clerics who referred themselves as "heirs of the prophets" often conspired even with the ruling fouls. Their beads and long robe sometimes are used as sacred shields to trick people who were politically blind, religiously blind, and less educated. The emerge of Sunni clerics, Syia clerics, and Khawarij scholars with their own unsubstantiated claims are results of hostile Arab Muslim elites vying for power in the early days, as it has been written in this column. The way to get out from this mess is to separate prophetic Islam from the Arabism sectarianism power politics that twisted religion without feeling guilty. Nothing to worry about, as long as the Quran first and foremost be used as guidelines. Prophet Muhammad PBUH as progressors of Abraham's treatise has painstakingly brought down norms of sectarianism, tribalism, and the pride of the ancestors teachings which were separated from the convoy of monotheism and the ideals of justice. It is a very tiring irony, teachings the universal, graceful, and humanist teaching has been polluted by dirt, the dirt of sectarianism and tribalism which kill sacred ideals of Islam. The Arab Muslim elite should realize that Islam is not only for them, but for humanity universal. They have no right to monopolize the truth of Islam as if impressed by the ideology of Wahhabism, the extreme form of Sunnism, and syi'sme. The al-Qaeda movement and ISIS are none other than the radical Wahhabism that has been digging graves of Islam's future. As for the West that come into play to paralyze the Arab-Muslim world that they has been wrung over the years is a mere consequence of increasingly fragile and never unconcious Arab's internal atmosphere. Islam that is wrapped in the mantle of sectarianism and tribalism clearly betraying the Koran and prophetic ideals. Indeed, it's not easy to unravel centuries old tangled threads. but if the Koran correctly and sincerely understood, the tangled threads will surely be parsed. The problem is not that complicated and even very simple: Will we conquer our selfishness and subjectivism to the Qur'anic command of unity and brotherhood of the faithful? As long as selfishness and subjectivism are worshipped, the doom and sledgehammers of history will always pursue until the people are crushed into pieces. I remembered what Prof. Fazlur Rahman said: "If the fuel disappeared from the Earth, we will certainly find the replacement. But, if Islam is lost, there will be no others." These remarks are very deep and sharp to penetrate the recesses of nerves of they who still have spiritual sensitivity. Finally, the Qur'an in surah al-Shaff (61): 4 describes those who fight in Allah's way in neat rows, "they like a solid and compact construction." Now, take a look situation at Muslim world, there's no such a building. The building itself has fallen in the hands of elites who felt right at backslide. So, who are we really? This is the map of the global ummah of Muhammad that should be changed with the understanding of the religion and concrete actions. The other path is the path of destruction!
