Issue in mind

Eventually, the government issued a Joint Ministrial Decree on last Monday 9 June 2008 that disbands Ahmadiyya sect following an outbreak of violence in Monas. Amid many dissent opinions from various groups, the issuance of the Decree seems inevitable. It has invited debates over the government omnipotence in interfering the faith of the people. Many believe that Islam is a religion with thousands of interpretations. There is no such a compulsory faith following a particular school of thought in matter of religious observance, since Indonesia is not a theocratic country nor an Islamic state. A ban of this group has become a headline in all public topics. The issue of oil price increases has gone with the wind. Our collective memory is forced to turn its new page and suddenly forget the previous one. The history leaves its misterious dots on the road.

The government seemed to be under pressure due to a more escalating demand among Islamic groups to outlaw Ahmadiyya. The Council of Indonesian Ulama reiterates that Ahmadiyya is deviant and so do some Muslim groups including Muhammadiyah, HTI, and of course FPI. They demand Ahmadiyya to not use Islam as their label of identity. Protest against the existence of this group would not emerge provided that Ahmadiyya is willing to relinquish its "Islamicness". There would not have so much dismay among the mainstream Muslims if Ahmadiyya had ceased its ritual activities and religious interpretations which are deviant to the mainstream Islam. It is believed that Ahmadiyya has about 500,000 followers in Indonesia with 330 branches across the archipelago.

Be that as it may, personally, I very much disagree with all colors of violence let alone violence in the banner of any religion. Every religion must teach respect and love. Every religion must bring peace and welfare for all. I am afraid that if some hardline groups use violence as their method of religious promulgation, they vandalize their own religious teachings. God teaches us to touch the hearts of people with love and respect in order to lead them to the path of God. Those who so called "deviants of Islam" will find that their faith is a true one due to some Muslims' negative attitudes toward them. We do not so much as show the truth of Islam which spreads peace as its core tenets. We do not hit the nail into our head! Can we, from the mainstream camp, investigate as to why our brothers and sisters prefer Ahmadiyyan to mainstream Islam? Can we find their instrumental reasons? what's wrong with the mainstream Islam? These critical questions can possibly find their answers through symphatic dialogues.

Ciputat, 13 June 2008

Ciputat