Sharp Bend in Religious Moderation
The Makassar bombing seemed to reverse the findings of the Setara Institute. The bombing that occurred in front of the cathedral confirmed the findings of a number of studies that had been carried out.
The path to religious moderation faces a very dangerous sharp turn with the Makassar bombing on Sunday (28/3/2021).
So far, the path to religious moderation has been relatively smooth, although there have been obstacles here and there. A research finding on the Tolerant City Index (IKT) by the Setara Institute (25/2/2021), for example, confirmed that tolerance had improved nationally.
In 2018, Singkawang City got a score of 6,513 and in 2020 the City of Salatiga got a score of 6,717. Likewise, the lowest score or at 94th position. In 2018, Tanjung Balai scored 2,817 and in 2020 Banda Aceh City got a score of 2,843.
The Makassar bombing seemed to reverse the findings of the Setara Institute. The bombing that occurred in front of the cathedral confirmed the findings of a number of studies that had been carried out. Research findings from the Center for Islamic and Community Studies (PPIM) of the State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta, which were released in early March, show that 30.16 percent of Indonesian students have low religious tolerance or intolerance. This figure is certainly very worrying.
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A more recent research was conducted by the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID), which was released on 23 March 2021. In general, the perceptions and attitudes of the young generation toward intolerance and extremism show a fairly high trend of resistance, but they are still very vulnerable to becoming intolerant.
The research findings of the Setara Institute and INFID provide hope that there is still a bright spot in the path of religious moderation. However, this bright spot has dimmed after the Makassar bombing. The path, which was initially relatively smooth, now faces sharp turns with unpredictable conditions.
The moderation paradigm
In simple terms, moderation can be interpreted as an attitude that rejects all forms of extreme action or thought. During the High Level Consultation forum on Islam Wasathiyah (moderate Islam) that was attended by around 100 scholars from a number of countries in Bogor, on 1-3 May 2018, it was emphasized that religious moderation has been practiced since the time of the Prophet and his companions.
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The scholars in this forum declared seven points of religious moderation, namely tawassut (middle and straight position); i\'tidal (behave proportionally, fairly and responsibly); tasamuh (respecting differences in all aspects of life); syura (promoting deliberation in solving problems); islah (involvement in constructive action for the common good); qudwah (pioneering noble initiatives for the welfare of mankind); and muwatonah (recognizing the nation state and respecting citizenship).
Tolerance, moderate and courtesy are representations of religious traditions in Indonesia.
In the religious tradition in Indonesia, the seven values of moderation above have actually been practiced for a long time. The religious thought being developed is a balance (middle way) between the use of revelation (naqliyah) and logic (\'aqliyah) so that it is possible to accommodate changes in society as long as it does not oppose the qath\'iy (certainty) doctrines. Tolerance, moderate and courtesy are representations of religious traditions in Indonesia.
As recorded by Zamakhsyari Dhofier (1982), in religious tradition in Indonesia, (local) tradition is not immediately completely abolished, nor is it completely accepted, but gradually becomes Islamicized (filled with Islamic values).
A mural with the theme of tolerance for diversity on Jalan Rawa Panjang, Bekasi City, West Java, Friday (7/8/2020).
Now the situation is somewhat different. The path to religious moderation as we hope will still have a long way to go. Not only because the threat of religion-based intolerance and violence is still worrying, but also because the paradigm of religious moderation itself is not yet fully unanimous.
A great scholar Yusuf Al-Qardhawi (2011) mentions several vocabularies that are similar in meaning to modernity, namely katan tawazun, i\'tidal, ta\'adul and istiqamah. Religious moderation, according to him, is a view or attitude that always tries to take the middle position of two opposing and exaggerated extremes so that one of the two attitudes in question does not dominate in a person\'s thoughts and attitudes.
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In other words, a moderate Muslim is a Muslim who gives every value or aspect that is opposite a certain portion no more than the portion it should be.
According to Khaled Abou El Fadl (2005), this wasathiyyah terminology is the basic identity and character of Islam. The opposite of moderate, according to El-Fadl, is puritan. For El-Fadl, the Wahabi movement led by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahab (1703-1787) was the group most active in promoting puritanical ideas in Islam.
The hallmark of Wahabi\'s fiqh approach is that the results are definite, the conclusions cannot be challenged, and the determination is firm. Such character prevents some Muslims from clearly understanding the messages of the Quran as a divine instrument that provides guidance on correct moral and ethical values for human life.
In reality, puritan groups are not single, just as moderate Muslim groups are also very diverse. However, there is a common thread that can be drawn from moderate Muslims. Moderate Muslims are those who live and work in society, seek change from below, reject religious extremism, and consider violence and terrorism to be haram (John L. Esposito, 2008).
Although in general the moderate character of Muhammadiyah and NU was very strong, in certain cases there were differences in views among the board members or between the leaders and the congregation.
In fact, this paradigm has not been fully accepted even by Islamic mass organizations which claim to be the representation of moderate groups. P3M and Maarif Institute research (2018) regarding the role of moderate Islamic organizations in preventing violent extremism shows that NU and Muhammadiyah do not have similar view on the issue of religious moderation. Although in general the moderate character of Muhammadiyah and NU was very strong, in certain cases there were differences in views among the board members or between the leaders and the congregation.
A mural with the theme of religious tolerance is drawn on the wall of a house in Meruyung, Depok, West Java, Saturday (12/9/2020).
An organization\'s official decision is not always the final, fully binding decision, especially when it comes to controversial religious issues. If the two largest Islamic mass organizations are still not fully unanimous about religious moderation, the path to religious moderation will still face sharp turns that this nation must be aware of.
Civil society agenda
Preventing extremism and building religious moderation is the task of all parties. The government has issued various policies in the form of preventing intolerance and violent extremism. One of the most strategic policies is the National Action Plan for the Prevention of Violent Extremism (RAN-PE) through Presidential Decree No. 7 in 2021. There are five big goals to be achieved from this RAN-PE in order for the prevention of extremism to be successful, namely (1) more inter-ministerial/agency (K/L) coordination; (2) improved coordination and synergy between ministries/agencies, regional administration, civil society and other partners; (3) have a better data collection and monitoring system; (4) the capacity of the implementers is increased, particularly in relation to the issue of preventing extremism; and (5) increased international cooperation.
Although promising enough, the birth of the RAN-PE policy is not a guarantee that extremism can be stopped by itself. A new policy will be effective if the state apparatuses have the same paradigm so that they can provide full support for the implementation of this policy.
Whether we realize it or not, preventing violent extremism and strengthening religious moderation have not yet become priority issues among policy makers and executors. A research on "Implementation of Policies for Prevention of Intolerance and Violent Extremism in Higher Education, Places of Worship and Social Media in Indonesia" by INFID (2020) concludes, of the four policies to prevent intolerance and extremism, most of them have not been properly implemented and faces several challenges, especially in terms of concept and implementation.
This research seems to want to emphasize that support for the state apparatuses for the implementation of prevention of intolerance and violent extremism is still very low. That is why, as with social issues in general, preventing extremism and strengthening religious moderation cannot rely solely on the government.
The promotion of intolerance and ideology of extremism does not only occur in educational institutions, both secondary and tertiary education, but also in the business world.
Civil society, like it or not, must take a more active, participatory and massive initiative. It is in this context that the consolidation of the various forces of civil society finds its moment. Of course, there are many other parties that must also be involved, for example educational institutions and the business world. The promotion of intolerance and ideology of extremism does not only occur in educational institutions, both secondary and tertiary education, but also in the business world.
Research in 2017 by P3M on 100 mosques at ministries, institutions and state-owned enterprises (BUMN) shows that mosques at BUMN are the area most prone to extremism ideology. Therefore, the business world must be aware and more concerned and get involved in initiatives to prevent extremism and strengthen religious moderation along with other elements. Only by consolidating the various strengths that the nation has will make the path to religious moderation get smoother. Wallahu a’lam (Allah knows best).
Agus Muhammad, Senior Researcher, Association of Islamic Boarding Schools and Community Development (P3M), Jakarta.
(This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswoko).
