Eep Saefulloh Fatah: Religion and the State: a Backward Step! Islam Mistakenly Taught

Religious socialization at the simplest level always emphasizes ethics of fear rather than ethics of hope. Submission is built upon the foundation of human’s fear of God, as if God’s greatness is determined by the human’s frailties and the horror of the metaphysics associated with god. Here is Eep Saefulloh Fatah‘s Islamic reflection, a political observer from University of Indonesia studying at Ohio State University (OSU), Columbus. In a conversation with Ulil Abshar-Abdalla on 3 July 2003, he explain the Islamic contribution toward democratic consolidation in Indonesia.

What was your first “introduction” to religion?

My first introduction with religion started prematurely when I was only two and half years old. It was when I was being circumcised. So my first introduction was through my family. But a more concrete introduction religion occurred several years later when my father took me for jum’ah prayer. Before, I was reluctant to go.

I was suddenly acquainted with religion as a surprising new authority. Its representation was a mosque I’ve never visited, except the yard. I sat in the front saf (line), face to face with the mimbar (pulpit), with the green carpet and khatib (preacher) holding a spear heroically. He held the original spear used at the mosque since its establishment in 1937. What remains in my mind is that this was something sacred and unfamiliar to me.

Have you any thoughts on the way you were introduced to Islam?

I think Islam was introduced to me and others mistakenly. The mistake is significant. For instance, Islam was taught as that which was in accordance to what authority understood it. I remember, in jum’at prayer, the preachers conveyed things threatening everyone; that the life is a moment, and that later we face two choices: either heaven or hell! It was conveyed to us that if we lived our short life wrongly we would go to hell.

Did you have a rather traumatic experience regarding your introduction to religion?

Yes, through comics! During my childhood there were comics illustrating the condition of heaven and hell. They frightened me. The comics illustrated how savage the tortures will be in hell. Those comics were popular at the end of 1970’s.

Those comics create a horror in religion. In my memory, whenever I am reminded that I would be terrorized, the illustration of my childish soul shrinks smaller and smaller before facing god in deep fright. Hence, religion and god in my childhood memory, were taught through the medium of fear. Obedience was maintained through fear.

Is there any other institution in which religion was important for you?

Yes. Its not only in mosques and during worship at Cibarusah, in my home town where I experienced religion but in other institutions like elementary school and in the madrasa. In the morning I studied in elementary school while in the afternoon I studied at ibtidaiyah. Later I studied through reading alQur’an after maghrib (dusk) and after subuh (dawn), I studied from a yellow book from an ustadz (religious teacher).

When I went to school, there was no fundamental change in my religious experience. The changes occurred when I was in secondary school. Then I was urged to reject many things about religious subjects. To me, everything regarding religion needed to be explained. Hence, when I do anything, I am sure of the reason behind it. 

Then when I asked about kiblat (the place towards which the face is turned in prayer); ”Is it allowed to pray in the opposite direction since the world is round?” The religious teacher could not answer my argument and simply said: “you must pray towards the west, not the east!”

After finishing your studies, your religious reflection must have changed. In the 1980’s, secular campuses were influenced by Islamic movements (usrah). Were you involved?

Yes, I was involved in the campus Islamic movement. Unintentionally I come into an organization. But later I become the chairman of Islamic Study Forum (FSI) at FISIP UI. It was the result of my previous battles with authority.

When I joined UI in 1987, Islamic activity was merrier. Then, people were proud to put stickers on their cars or motorcycles to show their identity. The recitation of the Qur’an was on a minor scale with five minutes of preaching at a small mosque. This situation created a rather ridiculous “conflict” between the activists of usrah and the group that considers usrah as the destroyer of traditional campus life.

Does the” conflict” influence your tendency as a campus activist?

Yes. In group A, I am considered as group B, and in group B, I am identified as group A. Yet my most prominent identification is as a “green man”. When the conflict was escalating, I was becoming the way out. Then, there was a dead lock between two groups with the formation of a new organization that organizes Islamic activities. But that organization should be led by a man who is capable of communicating with both sides at once.

Don’t you ever come into the merry trend of usrah at that time?

I didn’t enter yet, since every time I started, I felt that I couldn’t stand it. For instance, in the first year my friend took me to pengajian. The first question I heard on the first day was: “how many sura of Qur’an have you memorized?” He asked each of us and no one’s answer satisfied him. Murabi then preached to us. He said, “How much time do we have in a day! How much time of yours do you allocate for god?” Murabi’s judgement was that most of us were not loved by god, since we neglected this study.

You’ve studied politics for a long time. Do you see anything weird in the relationships between religion and politic, especially post-reformation?

The reformation era seemed to revive the hope of Muslims to relate religion and politics, especially Islam and the state. I see that for some extent the reformation agenda has been set back. Fortunately, the five years of reformation prove that they who have been set back actually have no significant power, in numbers as well as in terms of the capability to articulate their notion.

What is the agenda being strived towards by Islamic parties?

To me, when we mention “Islamic party”, there is room for debate about what they are. I don’t agree with parties that are oriented towards establishing an Islamic state.

Categorically, you are a santri (religious student). How do you relate kesantrian with the social-political ideals you consider suit the demands of religious ideas?

I thank god to have grown up in a family which understands religion not rigidly; as the only tools to reach worldly and hereafter happiness. It’s a formulation I have come to by myself though as my mother and father have never said this explicitly. I can say that because religion was taught at home more in terms of ethics, attitude, and morality. So I have never been taught to formalize religion by my family. To me it is something that I am thankful for.

How do you see Islam in Indonesia? Has Islam contributed to the strengthening of democracy?

Islam has contributed to democratization. Moreover, if we look at the dissertation by Saiful Mujani (Ph.D di Ohio State University by the title Religious Democrats: Democratic Culture and Muslim Participation in Post Suharto Era: 2003, Red), he found that within Muslim society in Indonesia, there is a sort of political culture which has potential to be the base for democracy. There is a social capital prepared by Islam. It is limited to that. So the role of religion, as the role of other variables, is influencing political culture within our society so that ultimately we are ready to join the world of democracy.

What kind of political culture is contributed by Islam, especially in the context of Islam in Indonesia?

Again, I’m influenced by Saiful Mujani in answering this. I just read part of his research. For instance, the crisis observed in America is a crisis of paguyuban (community organization based on ascribed status)—people no longer feel to be part of the same system; man has become more lonely and social ties have weakened. In fact, this crisis has not occurred in Indonesia. To Saiful, the values of paguyuban in Indonesia’s are solved by religion. Many social attitudes within our society are helped by Islam so that society has a sense of belonging. Hence social ties are maintained by religion.

Does it mean that if social ties are maintained, the democratization process would be easier?

I don’t think so. The result might be two different possibilities. For instance at Cibarusah, there are forms of paguyuban based on religion. There is a funerary organization to manage the dead which in Islam as a collective obligation (fardhu kifayah). There routinely perform pengajian (Qur’anic recitations), and for tens of years that maintains social ties within society. But the question is: when the group’s identity is formed, it has the potential to be positive and negative all at once. Its contribution for democracy would be important when identity planted by that group is an Islamic identity that teaches tolerance, hanif, inclusive etc. On the contrary, if Islamic values are disseminated which are based on exclusivity, intolerance and so on, it would be counter productive for democracy.

You seemed to be familiar with terms like hanif, kalimatun sawa’ dan inklusif. Are you an intensive reader of Cak Nur?

I’m not an intensive reader of his work. But frequently I feel that his notions represent mine too. To me, Islam should develop in Indonesia in that way in the future.

But nowadays there is a growing public opinion which opposes Cak Nur’s notions. Talking about Islam means talking about an Islamic understanding of people in general. When we see the fact that Cak Nur’s opposition is small, our conclusion is that moderate Islam is more widely disseminated than radical Islam.

(Translated by Lanny Octavia, edited by Jonathan Zilberg)