Lately, Indonesian vigilante groups are really cowing us. These groups are hogging much of the limelight. They can torture, intimidate, expel the Ahmadis, rough up groups promoting plurality, dismiss intellectual discussions, seal off a legalized church and ban Lady Gaga’s show. They register “success” as being an influential decision maker in our daily lives.
Unfortunately, in the many cases of violence and savagery, the state is absent in protecting its own citizens. The government, in particular, and the police have failed us by frequently showing cowardice and indecisiveness against these groups. The police often vindicate their negligence and dereliction of duty under the cloak of legal fudge.
President SBY must be held responsible for his embarrassing inaction. His weak leadership could lead Indonesia to the point of self destruction. Our basic freedoms are on the line. He should reminisce about what people wanted in 1998. Back then, people were fed up with a government which controlled every aspect of our life. It was the government who decided what kind of books and newspapers we could read, what kind of thoughts we could have and for what kind of party we could vote. Those days should well and truly be over.
But, can you believe, these Taliban-style groups are presently cropping up and dictating what kind of thoughts we can have, what kind of Islamic teachings we can practice, what kind of performers can go on stage, where people can practice their faith? As the authority dithers, these corny groups are thriving on the feeling of power and omniscience.
To face this quandary, especially when the hero is a no show, it’s interesting to conjure up memories of what Indonesian Muslims did in the past during differences in opinion. It was Ridwan Saidi, a Muslim scholar, who reminded us that recent events are not the real culture of Indonesian Muslims.
At TV One’s Indonesian Lawyers Club debate, he recounted a story about an atheist in Yogyakarta who came up with a declaration there was no god. What did Indonesian Muslims do to him decades ago? Did he get lynched? No, Indonesian Muslims threw down the gauntlet to dispute his “weird” thought in an open discussion.
When the atheist couldn’t afford to go to Jakarta, Muslim scholars financed him. In another case, Agus Salim was accused of being a Dutch spy. Sarekat Islam, the influential organization where Agus Salim was a central figure, could easily intimidate the accuser. Although Sarekat Islam members had machetes, they preferred to engage in fierce debates rather than exercise violence.
Likewise, Buya Hamka, the prominent Muslim scholar and preacher, in his father’s biography Ayahku, told the same evocative story in which Minangkabau Muslims challenged Ahmadis to a debate over Islam.
These facts prove that Indonesia has the wealth of experience and an exemplary model of tolerance. At that time, Indonesian Muslims were well prepared to debate and intellectual power was highly valued. Differences were settled in a civilized way. Let’s revive these good cultural practices of the past to return to being proud of our tolerance. A war fought with thoughts should take precedence over violence. We are humans, not animals.
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