http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20060120.C05&irec=4
Openness enriches Islam, scholar says Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta A curious woman tried to take a closer look at the "strange building" in the American city of Dallas. She was initially barred from entering because of her casual clothing, including a pair of shorts. After considering the matter, however, the mosque's imam relented and allowed her in, saying anyone should be allowed to enter a house of God. The woman later converted to Islam. In relating the story Wednesday, Muslim scholar Machasin said that the woman's embracing of Islam was not the moral of the story; it was the virtues of openness to someone of a different religious background. "The point is that we Muslims rarely open ourselves up to others and engage in dialog," he told participants of a three-day workshop here on pesantren, or Islamic boarding schools. "But dialog is a means to better disseminating an understanding of Islam." The professor at Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University (UIN) in Yogyakarta was responding to a recent study conducted by the Jakarta-based International Center for Islam and Pluralism (ICIP). The study found that Islamic boarding schools in West Java were often centers for conservative and intolerant views of other faiths. The research showed there was no compromising on matters of religion among those surveyed and that most believed tolerance of other faiths should be limited. Both students and teachers generally supported the controversial edicts issued last year by the Indonesian Ulema Council, which banned all Islamic interpretations based on liberalism, secularism and pluralism, and declared Ahmadiyah -- whose followers recognize a prophet after the Prophet Muhammad -- a heretical faith. Machasin said most Muslims approached Islamic teachings based on the literal text, instead of trying to understand the concepts and context. "It makes it really difficult for Muslims to accept new ideas, and so (they) become really intolerant." He said Islam had been influenced by a diverse range of cultural and social values during its long history, all of which had enriched the religion and supplied different perspectives. However, religious purists now sought to remove the influence of values perceived to come from "outside Islam", rejecting multiculturalism and anything else considered "Western". Historian and professor at the National University of Singapore, Merle Calvin Ricklefs, said that liberalism was the key to a reasonably successful multicultural society like Australia. "The idea of liberalism actually aims at limiting government's interference in religious issues. Everyone must be as free as possible, and that freedom must be kept in accordance with people's needs in general," he said. Multiculturalism was based on liberalism, the recognition that we live in a world of many faiths and beliefs and many cultures, all of which should be respected, Ricklefs said. "A multicultural policy is based on rights and obligations. People have to be loyal to the state, and they must acknowledge that everyone has the right to their own identity as long as it doesn't threaten social harmony." Education was also crucial, Ricklefs said, and subjects in schools should not be limited to religious teachings. Machasin said a resistance to new ideas was not beneficial because it dissuaded people from learning more about their faith. Religious boarding schools should see multiculturalism as an opportunity to disseminate Islamic values, instead of as a threat to these values, he said. "Pesantren should focus on positive values of (multiculturalism), such as the virtues it encourages like modesty, independence, acceptance and so on. (Muslim leaders) must take more responsibility and leadership." "The Koran never stated that all people should embrace the same religion. It only asked people to look for God's way." ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing http://us.click.yahoo.com/lMct6A/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/aYWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Milis Wanita Muslimah Membangun citra wanita muslimah dalam diri, keluarga, maupun masyarakat. Situs Web: http://www.wanita-muslimah.com ARSIP DISKUSI : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wanita-muslimah/messages Kirim Posting mailto:wanita-muslimah@yahoogroups.com Berhenti mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Milis Keluarga Sejahtera mailto:keluarga-sejahtera@yahoogroups.com Milis Anak Muda Islam mailto:majelismuda@yahoogroups.com This mailing list has a special spell casted to reject any attachment .... Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wanita-muslimah/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
