Jakarta Globe, Aries Sudiono, Aug 02, 2015
Jombang, East Java. President Joko Widodo is calling on Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, to increase its role as a representative of moderate and peaceful Islam and to address the issue of extremism wreaking havoc in the Muslim world.
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| President Joko Widodo raised the pressing issue of growing religious intolerance in Indonesia during his opening speech for the annual Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) congress. (Antara Photo/Zabur Karuru) |
Jombang, East Java. President Joko Widodo is calling on Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, to increase its role as a representative of moderate and peaceful Islam and to address the issue of extremism wreaking havoc in the Muslim world.
Joko said
NU, which is one of the oldest Islamic organizations in Indonesia and has an estimated
60 million followers across the archipelago, has played a significant part in
supporting and preserving the pluralistic spirit of the nation since its
establishment in 1926.
He called
on NU members to hold fast to the group’s “moderate Islamic values,” but also increase its role in curbing Islamic
extremism by helping address the root cause of the rising global phenomenon.
“NU, which
has promoted moderate values of Islam since its birth, can heighten its
partnership with various parties in order to build a just global order,
especially in regards to eradicating poverty, backwardness and inequality —
which are the root cause of terrorism and radicalism,” Joko said in his speech
during the opening ceremony of NU’s National Congress in Jombang district, East
Java, on Saturday evening.
The
president reminded the audience of how NU founding figures had contributed to
the establishment of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia — proof of
the organization’s commitment to nationalism and pluralism.
“As a role
model for the promotion of an Islam which is ‘rahmatan lil alamin‘ [a blessing
for the entire universe]… NU members must make Islam their guide in building an
advanced community — those who make religion a source of advancement, justice
and peace.”
Joko cited
his meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron, saying the latter had
been “impressed” with the role of moderate Muslim groups, such a NU and
Muhammadiyah, in promoting a tolerant and peaceful face of Islam in Indonesia.
Muhammadiyah
is Indonesia’s second-largest Islamic organization. NU is generally seen as
traditionalist in orientation while Muhammadiyah is more modernist.
Inter-religious
communication
Cameron
visited Jakarta for two days last week to boost bilateral trade and promote
British investment in Indonesia, as well as to forge a cooperation between the
two countries in addressing the growing threat of religious extremism and
terrorism – especially after the rise of the jihadist Islamic State movement in
Syria and Iraq.
Joko also
touched on the Tolikara incident in Papua, where a small mosque was reportedly
burned to the ground as part of a riot during the Idul Fitri holiday last
month.
Although
Muslims make up the majority of Indonesia’s 250 million population, they are a
minority in Papua, where most residents are Christian.
The
incident incited hate speeches against Christians across social media platforms
– although it was later discovered that the mosque was not intentionally
burned, but had accidentally caught fire during a riot .
Still, the
brouhaha brought to light threats faced by religious minorities anywhere in
Indonesia – whether they are Christians in predominantly Muslim regions or vice
versa.
Members of
the minority Islamic sect Ahmadiyah and Shiites have suffered their fair share
of intolerance in recent years, with security officials receiving heavy
criticism for failing to protect them.
“The
Tolikara incident reminds us of the need to continue to build positive
inter-religious communication. The degree of tolerance we have worked hard to
build must not be marred by a small group of people,” Joko said.
‘Concrete
recommendations’
Members of
Indonesia’s Interfaith Forum (FLI), whose representatives were participating in
the NU congress in Jombang, voiced their support for Joko’s appeal.
FLI
spokesman Husein Muhammad said the congress, which runs through Wednesday, must
underline the blaring issue of growing intolerance in Indonesia.
“[Incidents
like Tolikara] must not be repeated,” said Husein, an NU cleric and senior
teacher at an Islamic boarding school in West Java. “All of us [FLI members]
present here support the suggestion that NU should pay special attention to tackling
intolerance in our country.”
Another FLI
official, Aan Anshori, added that the Tolikara incident also highlighted local
governments’ failure to safeguard religious tolerance in their respective
regions.
Meanwhile,
Wirya, a representative from Buddhist organization Mahavihara Buddha Trowulan
in Mojokokerto, East Java, asked for “concrete recommendations” from the NU
congress to address the pressing issue.
Reports of
attacks carried out by Buddhist monks on the Rohingya Muslim minority in
Myanmar have also sparked malicious sentiments against Buddhists in Indonesia
among some hard-line Muslim groups.
Saturday
evening’s opening ceremony was attended by Indonesia’s fifth president and
chairwoman of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P),
Megawati Soekarnoputri; the wife of late Indonesian president and NU leader
Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, Shinta Nuriyah Wahid; as well as a number of
cabinet ministers, political party leaders and foreign ambassadors.
NU’s 33th
congress will see the election of a new chairman of Indonesia’s largest Muslim
group, with candidates that include incumbent Said Aqil Siradj; Abdurrahman’s
brother, Salahuddin “Gus Sholah” Wahid; and Said’s current deputy and former
deputy of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), As’ad Said Ali.
Muhammadiyah
congress
Muhammadiyah,
which has some 20 million to 25 million followers across the country, is also
organizing its annual national congress this week. It is due to take place in
Makassar, South Sulawesi, from Monday through Friday.
Muhammadiyah
chairman Din Syamsuddin said that among the issues that would be discussed was
the organization’s commitment to Indonesia’s founding ideology of Pancasila,
which is often cited as the official basis for pluralism.
“[The
congress] also will discuss Muhammadiyah’s critical views on the state of the
nation, particularly regarding nationalism, universal humanity and other
strategic issues,” said Din, who is also the chairman of the Indonesian Council
of Ulema (MUI), which consists of senior clerics from Indonesia’s major Muslim
groups.
Muhammadiyah
was founded in 1912 by Muslim trader and cleric Ahmad Dahlan. NU, meanwhile,
was founded in 1926 by late president Gus Dur’s grandfather, Hasyim Asy’arie,
to counter the spread of Muhammadiyah.
While NU has been focusing on spreading Islam in Indonesia through its traditional Islamic boarding schools and is mostly concentrated on Java, Muhammadiyah has been spreading Islamic teachings by developing its own regular schools, universities and hospitals.
While NU has been focusing on spreading Islam in Indonesia through its traditional Islamic boarding schools and is mostly concentrated on Java, Muhammadiyah has been spreading Islamic teachings by developing its own regular schools, universities and hospitals.
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