Transnationalization of Indonesian Islam
The question is: Is it true that Huntington's clash of civilizations is an eternal curse? Are these groups of people condemned to live amidst a war of mutual annihilation?
On various occasions, K.H. Yahya “Gus Yahya” Cholil Staquf, the general chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama Central Board (PBNU), has stated his aim to make Indonesian Islam a locomotive for building a new world order.
In the midst of the tense relationship between Islam and the West due to wounds of the past, Gus Yahya firmly believes that Indonesian Islam can be a prototype for a new world order that is built on the principles of equality, mutual trust and peace.
Of course, this is not an easy thing to do because this is a civilizational project. It requires not only strong commitment, but also the support and trust of the international community. What Gus Yahya aspires to relates to not only global Muslims, but also people of other religions, faiths and belief systems. So, this mission is a very tough one.
Is Gus Yahya’s mission too ambitious? Surely, it would be too ambitious if he were the only one to carry out this work to build this civilization through NU. However, as an idea, various groups have widely spoken about creating a new world civilization in which Islam is an important factor. Therefore, Gus Yahya's idea to restore civilization can gain the support of various parties, regardless of their religion or nationality.
After all, Islam is a world religion. Islam is currently the second largest religion in the world with approximately 1.91 billion followers, which accounts for 24.9 percent of the global population. Any attempt to build a world civilization without taking Muslims into account is a decision that is not only wrong, but also leaves out a very large portion of the world to pose a serious danger for all of humanity.
Rebuilding the world order
Unfortunately, in a situation where mutual understanding and mutual trust are urgently needed, Islamophobia has been spreading to fill the relationship between Islam and the West with hate and various false narratives. Since the events on 11 Sept. 2001, the ties between Islam and the West have been filled with tension. Muslims have been victims of stereotyping and hate, wrapped in the remnants of past hostilities.
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The majority of Muslims are being judged for the actions of a few Muslim extremist groups. The narrative on the relationship between Islam and the West (often used to refer to Judeo-Christian civilizations) is often cast in the light of “eternal enmity” between East and West, Roman and Persian, European and Ottoman.
The question is: Is it true that Huntington's clash of civilizations is an eternal curse? Are these groups of people condemned to live amidst a war of mutual annihilation? Is there a way for these two civilizations to live in peace?
To these questions, Gus Yahya has the answer: neither the East nor the West has ever had a reason to face each other as enemies. Islam and Christianity or Islam and Judaism have a history of hostility that can be unraveled, so that the current tensions can be eased and relations restored. The theory of the clash of civilizations, which believes that the post-Cold War era and global conflicts pivot along the lines of civilization, when the West and Islam will look upon each other as enemies, is clearly not an option in Gus Yahya's work.
Today, the world is actually experiencing a void in the idea of civilization. After the Cold War, Russia and the United States experienced an identity crisis in the map of global relations. While the US still plays a significant role in world events, anti-American sentiment has continued to grow in many Third World countries. The US has become a symbol of the hypocrisy and insolence of superpower towards smaller and weaker countries. Meanwhile, Russia has long been unable to offer ideas on culture and development, even to countries that do not like the US.
Who we are, where we are headed, and what are our goals are all questions that need to be discussed together. All aspirations must be placed on the table and renegotiated honestly. No less important in building a new civilization is how we look at history and how we reinterpret it in the contemporary context.
The peaceful spread of Islam, in which local cultures and Islam are dialogically related and mutually enriching, is an asset that Islam in other countries rarely possess.
It is in this context that Gus Yahya's dream about rebuilding the world order should be understood. As a representative of the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia, he is very confident that he can play an important role in this civilization project. Indonesian Islam, or Islam Nusantara, does not have the burdens of the past. The peaceful spread of Islam, in which local cultures and Islam are dialogically related and mutually enriching, is an asset that Islam in other countries rarely possess.
Religious moderation
Islam has grown and developed along with the dynamics in Indonesia. If there is an experiment in Islam’s ties to democracy and important issues of modernity, it is Indonesian Islam. Even if there are some issues in which Indonesian Islam is not fully compatible with modernity (human rights, pluralism, gender issues, etc.), Indonesian Islam still has other valuable capital for building a world civilization, namely peace and moderation.
Of course, this description of Indonesian Islam does not attempt to deny the fact of the existence of extreme religious groups that view other groups as enemies that must be eliminated.
Gus Yahya, of course, does not neglect understanding this fact. It is precisely this fact that formed the starting point for the mission of building a new world order as he has proclaimed. Therefore, the term transnational ideology is not something to be avoided. This term holds within it room for a competition that must be won.
It can be imagined that, as the chairman of the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia, the always challenging question is why extreme Islamist ideologies can be sold globally, while the Islam Nusantara ideology that offers peace is only debated at home and expends energy to overcome its critics.
The project to build a new world order requires the followers of all religions to join hands and contribute the noble values of their religion towards a just and civilized world order.
Therefore, the step that must be taken is the transnationalization of Indonesian Islam, namely Islam that offers peace, equality, and justice. The project to build a new world order requires the followers of all religions to join hands and contribute the noble values of their religion towards a just and civilized world order.
Then, what about extreme religious groups? They must not be ignored or left out of this civilization project. They must be involved through honest, equal and respectful dialogue forums. Provide opportunities for their representatives to voice their aspirations; provide space for dialogue to discuss their religious beliefs with moderate religious figures in order to share and enrich each other.
Once again, a civilizational project is not the same as building projects. However, if we are to imagine the future story of the world, it should be written through equal and honest dialogue. If this is chosen, then offering Indonesian Islam as a locomotive for building a new world order is not an empty ambition.
AHMAD ZAINUL HAMDI
Ahmad Zainul Hamdi, Member of the Lakpesdam PBNU Executive Board, Professor of Sociology of Religion at UIN Sunan Ampel, Surabaya.
(This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswo).
