A New Chapter Begins in Afghanistan

KOMPAS/WISNU WIDIANTORO

President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla greet ulema participating in a trilateral meeting of ulema from Afghanistan, Indonesia and Pakistan after the opening ceremony at Bogor Palace in West Java on Friday (11/5/2018). The meeting was aimed at creating stability and peace in Afghanistan.

BOGOR, KOMPAS – A new chapter in the Afghanistan peace process began on Friday after clerics from three countries (Indonesia, Afghanistan and Pakistan) signed a peace declaration at the Bogor Palace in West Java. Using peace concepts and perspectives found in the Quran and hadith, the clerics are seeking to end the 40-year civil war in Afghanistan.

The Clerics’ Declaration of Peace was announced in the trilateral conference of clerics after a six-hour meeting in the Garuda Room at the palace. The declaration text was read in turns by Afghan delegation leader Ataulloh Lodin, Pakistani delegation leader Qibla Ayas and Indonesian delegation leader Quraish Shihab.

The event was opened by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and closed by Vice President Jusuf Kalla. The conference, attended by around 60 international clerics, was themed “Islam Rahmatan Lil Alamin, Peace and Stability in Afghanistan”. It discussed five major issues, namely peace and friendship in Islam, violent extremism and ai’tidal (tolerance), the roles of clerics and the state, and achieving progress.

Delegates from Indonesia included New York-based Muslim scholar Shamsi Ali and senior Muslim scholars Quraish Shihab and Azyumardi Azra. Meanwhile, the Afghan and Pakistani clerics were led by Afghan Clerics Council chair Qiamuddin Kashaf and Pakistan Islamic Ideology Council chair Qibla Ayaz, respectively.

In his opening speech, President Jokowi said that clerics were entrusted with safeguarding this opportunity and the people’s optimism in pushing toward peace. Clerics as exemplary figures have the strength to sow the seeds of peace and prevent violence among people. Despite acknowledging that the road toward peace would not be easy, President Jokowi said the clerics would contribute toward creating peace in Afghanistan through their sincerity in organizing the meeting.

Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chairman Ma’ruf Amin said in his speech that unity would be the precursor to peace in Afghanistan. Indonesia supports peace-building in Afghanistan.

Clerics’ declaration

The declaration text reads that Islam is a peaceful and tolerant religion. Achieving peace is God’s order and was exemplified by the Prophet Muhammad PBUH. Clerics, as the Prophet’s inheritors, are obliged to sow peace and universal values, including tolerance and justice.

On this basis, the clerics must push for peace in Islamic countries, especially Afghanistan. They are committed to urging parties involved in the conflict in Afghanistan to sit together and pave the way toward peace.

Clerics from the three countries also reaffirmed that no form of violence or terrorism should be linked to any religion, ethnicity or nation. They agreed that terrorism in all of its forms, including violence against civilians and suicide bombings, violate the principles of Islam. Vice President Kalla said the Clerics’ Declaration of Peace was the right first step toward peace in Afghanistan.

Chairman of the Afghan branch of Indonesia’s largest Islamic mass organization Nahdlatul Ulama, Fazal Ghani Kakar, said he appreciated Indonesia’s initiative in bringing together Afghan and Pakistani clerics. The meeting is a positive step in the Afghan peace talks and negotiation. Meanwhile, reports said that the Taliban attacked a police post in Farah, Afghanistan, on Friday. In the attack, 34 police personnel were killed.

(AP/Reuters/BEN/NTA/INA)