Editorial

In the journey toward the truth, people tend to take the easy tack. The easiest way is to treat religion as an heirloom inherited from our ancient predecessors; to treat religion as a set of doctrines that have clear-cut boundaries or, more precisely, boundary (in a singular form). The easiest way to be in the way of being “religionist” is to follow the well-trodden path of the predecessors without daring to ask or challenge. To question what has been laid down as doctrines by our pious predecessors is tantamount to an act of heresy.

Meanwhile, no single verse of Quran declare that apostates should be killed. Allah would certainly have included this important penalty in the Quran if he wanted it performed. In fact, Quran clearly guarantees freedom of religion. Jawdat Said observed that the above hadith is dla’if (weak), since it conflicts with the fundamental Islamic teaching: namely freedom of religion.

It is important to expose this historical fact to let the Muslims know that some Jewish groups have an objective perspective and were fair in building relationship with Islam. They are not like what the Muslims think.

The problem with Indonesian Muslims is that they live so long as a majority, cultivating the mindset of “supremacy” given their status as the predominant religious group in the country. It never occurs to them how it looks like to be in the reverse position. It is so striking to see that the discourse of “civil right” is markedly missing in the rhetoric of Sunni majority in Indonesia.

Muslims seemed to reduce their religious comprehension, and started to emphasize more on ritual piety rather than social piety. Muslims have been drowned in the calculation of individual reward and sin, and have not been aware upon social problems such as poverty, corruption, flood and unemployment that directly affected people’s benefit ( maslahat).

Islam claimed and is proud to be religion without priesthood system. In fact, the Muslim leaders used to have similar pretension, they claim of having the right to publish the list of do’s and don’ts for Muslims, based on the authority of holy books and prophet teachings.

This case indicates that whenever religion did not appear in peaceful form and respect humanity, its adherent will move away. When it is being rigid and nonnegotiable with the context, it will lose its prophetic mission. When religious institution becomes dominant, the politic of identity and power relation will take over.

Some viewed that woman is creature who arouse man’s desire and libido therefore she should stay indoor. Her voice is aurat, her body opens the way to discord ( fitna), her mind is deficient, and her faith is incomplete. Therefore, she has no freedom to do anything or to determine her choice.

The Islamic studies in the West always develop. It started as a part of polemic against Islam, and it afterward developed as a “means” to support the colonial domination upon the Muslim world, and now it develops further as part of Western society’s attempt to build mutual understanding among human civilizations.

Please note that what we are yelling now as “freedom!” (merdeka!) indeed means freedom in republican classic definition. Freedom means realization of “liber”, the free citizen. Please note that on this point the term freedom and liberal are interchanging.