JIL English Edition

The idea of Islamic reform is still relevant. This discourse was discussed in a discussion by the title “The Reform without Apology” in Wisma Bina Marga, Bandung, 21/08/2010. The discussion was organized by the Muslim Students Association (HMI) of Bandung Branch in cooperation with the Liberal Islam Network (JIL) and the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung (FNS). This discussion was intended to discuss the renewal idea of Ahmad Wahib, one of the leaders of HMI in 1960s.

...Tafsir of Mafatih al-Ghaib, the work of al-Razi, is different from the majority of classical tafsir which limits salvation only for the followers of Muhammad called Muslims. Al-Razi is mufassir who requires two fundamental conditions to get salvation in the afterlife, namely believe in Allah and the Last Day as well as do righteousness without the necessity of faith to Muhammad. This statement leads Kautsar to conclude that al-Razi is a pluralist mufassir, or at least inclusive….

We need to understand ijtihad broadly as, quoting from Dr. Khan, “freedom of thought, rational thinking and the quest for truth through an epistemology covering science, rationalism, human experience, critical thinking and so on.” (See Muqtedar Khan’s “Two Theories of Ijtihad” in his blog Ijtihad [http://www.ijtihad.org/ijtihad.htm]).

With this new understanding of ijtihad, we may say that the door of independent reasoning is no longer shut; it is re-opened again. The participants in this new ijtihad are not limited to the ulama in a traditional sense, but to include modern Muslim scholars whose academic training and specialization span a broad range of field and expertise.

Thousand of people were invaded, tortured and murdered. However only 12 people were arrested and presented at the hearing process in the court. Policemen who “allowed” the violence to happen had not yet became suspects. Ironically, one of Ahmadi family was judged to a the suspected. His head was hacked several times. His hands were almost severed and until now has not been functioning. So instead of punishing the attackers, they were sending him for 10 years in prison, because he is considered to provoke the anger of thousands of residents because he chose not to leave his office and defend his assets from being destroyed. It is strange, while the victim is threatened with 10 years in prison; the attackers were actually required to stay only from 5 to 7 months. In this country, defending private property rights can be a complicated matter, while criminals that is committed is very likely understandable.

Osama bin Laden is a controversial figure. For many people, Osama is a symbol of terrorism who is the most responsible for all acts of terror that occurred in the world, particularly in the World Trade Centre (WTC) attack at the United State of America on September 11, 2001. The government of the United States considers that al-Qaeda is responsible for the terror that occurred in the WTC. Thus, the assassination of Osama (May 1, 2011), as the leader of al-Qaeda, is a justice that must we accept as a punishment for terrorists.

When a paradigm shift occurs then the texts are viewed in different way. The texts that are perceived as normal by classical scholars become “abnormal” in the modern century. Muslim scholars who propose gender equality attempt to denormalize the texts. They must reinterpret the texts; otherwise, it would lead to inconsistencies in the understanding of religion.

Indonesia has been into democracy for almost thirteen years. It began in 1998 when thousands of students occupied the parliament which eventually resulted in the ouster of President Suharto, an autocrat who ruled the country for more than three decades. That was the beginning of democratic epoch in Indonesia.

“Moqsith reminded that an acculturation of tradition is an absolute necessity in da’wah (religious mission). Rigidity toward tradition will make a da’wah concept unacceptable. Look at how Muhammadiyah in previous eras was so strict on tradition. The position of tradition in da’wah, for Moqsith, is analogized to the need of body for nutrition. Refusing to compromise with tradition means to allow the body to be nutritional deficiency. However, it should also be remembered that too many compromises with tradition, such as NU’s da’wah, can spend the energy before getting to the original sources: the Qur’an and the Sunnah. If da’wah with so strict on tradition is analogized by malnutrition da’wah, da’wah with so many compromise with tradition is obesity da’wah, and this also means that the two is equally bad.”
For people who have explored Islamic thoughts, the term ‘Wahabi’ is not a new one. For the context of Islamic thoughts in Indonesia, Wahabi, the name is attributed to Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab, at least became popular in the 80s era. However, due to unfavorable political conditions at that time, the Wahabi da’wah was widely heard in post reformation era.

“The establishment of an Islamic state will confront with a sociological issue. Something that has not yet become a value in a society will be very difficult to become law in the society. If it is forced to be law in the society, it will be a deadlock. “

...if the divinity precept became the one who gave birth to the Pancasila state—as a synthesis between the secular and religious state – is the political reflection of the nation, then the precepts of justice that gave birth to the economic life of our country, then it is the synthesis between the Pancasila-and socialist-liberal state, and then it is the reflection of our country’s economic policies. Both of these syntheses in Lutfi ‘s view have been creating a number of problems..