JIL English Edition

The debate about the presence of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) continues. Some people say that the claim about the presence of JI in Indonesia has been intentionally blown up to discredit the Muslim community. People believe that JI is not an organization but only a designation for the whole Muslim community.

The Quranic verses about war have been ingrained in the consciousness of fundamentalists, especially the verse quoted partially by Osama ben Laden (Ababil Press, 2001:42): “Now when ye meet in battle those who disbelieve, smite them ...” (Muhammad 4). Other Quranic texts such as reliable (sahih) and the more credible hadits add to this discourse by explaining that the reward for martyrdom in war will be beautiful angels and jewels in heaven (Ahmad and al-Turmudzi). Although the Quranic war verses are universal, and were written in the context of the past (in illo tempore), all religious believers grasp the universal values and relevance of the term jihad.

The three mainstream of pesantren’s science , tauhid, fiqh dan tasawuf (unity of God, Islamic jurisprudence and mysticism), suggest the community to perform good deed, love, give in for the sake of others, make others happy, help and cooperate, and avoid conflict, confrontation, intrigue, and other destructive thing. At this point Islam would be accepted on the earth sympathically. Not by sword, bomb or gun which leave the impact of cruelty, harshness and barbaric. Wasn’t Rasulullah Saw has never use sword whenever there is other wiser way?

Islam has been “accused” as a religion which has produced these terrorists though the Muslim community has also criticized the terrorists as barbaric, atheistic and uncivilized. But the facts are that the terrorists claim that their action is based in the doctrinal legitimacy of Islam. They understand their actions to be the highest form of religious devotion and a form of revenge towards their cosmic enemies. Their actions are said to be noble, honorable, and admirable. What else is the highest glory within a religion besides an ‘infinite devotion’ to the religion itself?

However, the presence of this book should be positively appreciated, since besides bringing together several articles from diverse sources, it also contains several reports and interviews including one posting between Abdalla and one of the Muslim figures in Makassar.

Indeed, this battle of political and religious discourses provides fertile ground for the growth of interpretation of plural religious principles. Moreover, the definition of iman of Ahmad bin Hanbal which has been carved into the religious consciousness of the Muslim community is not a single interpretation. Long before the mihnah tragedy, Abu Hanifah provided a definition of iman which supported tolerance and provided the legal basis for human liberty.

Islam provides theological apparatus which is receptive upon trust as the social capital of democracy. But ipso facto, many citizens of Muslim countries are trust-less. Research held by Sarif Mardin in the Middle East indicates the lack of trust; hence the power of civil society is blunted and Islamic countries suffer a deficit of democracy. Here is the interview with Burhanuddin by Dr. Bachtiar Effendy, a political observer and lecturer at UIN Jakarta.

Title: Syariat Islam, Pandangan Muslim Liberal (Islamic Sharia, Liberal Muslim Perspective) Author: Al Asymawi, Saiful Mujani, Azyumardi Azra, Taufik Adnan Amal, Ulil Abshar-Abdalla, et all. Editor: Burhanuddin Publisher: Jaringan Islam Liberal and the Asia Foundation, June 2003 Price: Rp. 22.000,-

The agenda of the propagandist-missionaries religions is often determined by the success of converting other people. The paradigm has never shifted from the old concept: “no salvation out of Christ”. This old doctrine left by the mainstream Christians is used by the Christian evangelists to justify their spiritual bribery. Here is an interview with Rev. Kuntadi Sumadikarya M. Th, the head of the Synod of Christian Church of Indonesia (GKI) of West Java.

Involvement in religious associations, as well as in non-religious ones, correlates positively with the reinforcement of democracy. On the micro level, the collective dimension within NU’s rituals is also significant in order to strengthen the social network and make it capable of mediating public matters.