*IBRAHIM ISA´S - SELECTED NEWS AND VIEWS
MOSLEMS IN INDONESIA*
*Thursday, August 25th, 2011 **
----------------------------------------------------------**
*
*--- Ahmadiyah to file protest against sect ban
--- W. Java residents demand Ahmadiyah ban repeal
--- Jakarta not to ban Ahmadiyah
--- Do Muslims truly implement the virtues of Ramadhan?
--- Mosque, a symbol of religious harmony *
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*AHMADIYAH TO FILE PROTEST AGAINST SECT BAN*
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 09/03/2008
Islamic minority sect Jamaah Ahmadiyah plans to file a protest to the
government against the gubernatorial ban in South Sumatra put in place
earlier this week.
Yan Husein Lamardi, a member of Ahmadiyah's advocating team, said the
regional administration, unlike the central government, had no authority
to issue the ban.
The government, he said, had only issued joint ministerial decree on
Ahmadiyah's activities and nothing about ban.
"No prohibition was stated in the decree," Yan said, as quoted by
/Tempointeraktif.com
/South Sumatra governor Mahyuddin N.S. issued a decree Monday banning
Islamic minority sect Ahmadiyah and any activities of the Indonesian
Jamaah Ahmadiyah (JAI) organization from the region.
The governor said the decree was made in accordance with the ministerial
decree ordering the sect to stop all religious activities or face
charges for blaspheming Islam.
Yan said Ahmadiyah had obeyed the decree and was no longer propagating
the sect's teachings.
"We no longer mention that there is another prophet after Prophet
Muhammad in our sermons," he said.
Ahmadiyah will also protest against violence the sect has been suffering
since the issuance of the ministerial decree. Yan said that the sect had
suffered at least 24 attacks since the
ministerial decree issued two months ago. (dre)
*
* *
*W. JAVA RESIDENTS DEMAND AHMADIYAH BAN REPEAL*
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 03/07/2011
A group of West Java residents has demanded governor Ahmad
Heryawan revoke a recently issued decree that bans Ahmadiyah
activities in the region.
The group, which calls itself Aljabar, says the decree is a
violation of the constitutionally guaranteed rights of Ahmadis,
who make up part of the Indonesian people. Beside, it said,
religious issues were supposed to be handled by the central
government, not the regional administrations.
"The governor was reckless in issuing this decree," a coordinator
for the group, Asep Hadian Permana, said in Bandung, West Java, on
Monday as quoted by //tempointeraktif.com//.
Aljabar consists of a number of Bandung-based organizations
including Bandung Legal Aid Institute (LBH), Inter-religious
working network (Jakatarub) and the Institute for Culture and
Religion Studies (Incres).
The decree, Asep said, might lead to discriminatory and intolerant
practices against the Ahmadis in the name of religion. This, he
added, would trigger horizontal conflict in society. The
government, he said, must stand beside all Indonesian people and
should not interfere with beliefs.
The government should guarantee legal protection and the rights of
all citizens, including the Ahmadis, "instead of discrediting
them," he added.
* * *
*JAKARTA NOT TO BAN AHMADIYAH*
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 03/07/2011
Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said on Monday he would not issue a
decree banning Ahmadiyah activities in the capital.
He said the decision was based on the instruction of Coordinating
Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto
"The minister has issued [the instruction], and it is clear that
there can be no bylaw or governor regulation or any kind of
regulation in this country that violates the constitution," Fauzi
said as quoted by //tempointeraktif.com//.
He also said that a joint ministerial decree on Ahmadiyah, issued
in 2008, was enough to regulate on order and harmony among
Jakartans. Thus, no new regulation was needed.
"It's just that this decree probably needs to be better understood
by various stakeholders, including [law enforcers]," he said,
adding that his administration would continue raising awareness on
the decree.
He highlighted that religious issues were not the authority of
provincial governments.
"That authority is with the Religious Affairs Ministry."
The Jakarta provincial government has previously mulled issuing a
decree, or even a bylaw, to ban Ahmadiyah activities in the
region. Several local administrations have issued decrees to ban
the religious group.
*
* *
*DEPOK TO OPEN SEIZED AHMADIYAH MOSQUE*
*TO ALL MOSLEMS, -- -- EXCEPT -- -- -- AHMADIS*
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 03/27/2011
The Depok administration says an Amadiyah mosque it recently
ordered closed will be reopened for use by all Muslims -- except
Ahmadis.
"After the mosque was sealed it could no longer be used by
Ahmadiyah followers. In the future it will be available for all
Muslims in general," Depok Deputy Mayor Idris Abdul Shomad said as
quoted by Antara news agency.
"Muslims in general can use the mosque for their activities - but
Ahmadis are not allowed," he added. The Al-Hidayah mosque in
Depok, West Java was closed after the mayor and the provincial
governor issued decrees banning Ahmadiyah.
Idris also said on Sunday that Depok would invite clerics from the
Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to return local Ahmadis to the
"right path of Islam".
He also said the administration would guarantee the safety of
Ahmadis and protect the sect from violence.
* * *
*DO MOSLIMS TRULY IJMPLEMENT THE VIRTUES OF RAMADHAN??*
Mahmudi Asyari and Muizzudin, Jakarta | Fri, 08/19/2011
Muslims all over the world always anticipate the fasting month of
Ramadhan. They believe this month to be a time of blessing, mercy
and forgiveness.
Among Muslims, there is also a common belief that Ramadhan is a
month for purifying sins. If this statement holds true, it can
indirectly lead to the misperception that Islam offers its
followers a facility for sin-laundering.
However, based on the Koran and hadiths, it is clear Islam does no
such thing. What Islam acknowledges concerning sins is taubatan
nasuha (serious atonement).
However, with the exaggeration of Ramadhan, many believe in this
idea of Islam having a concept of sin-laundering.
In fact, hadiths explaining the virtues of Ramadhan are abundant.
According to hadith expert proffessor Mustofa Ya'kub, the validity
of many such hadiths is questionable. It is a pity that this kind
of hadith is so often quoted by preachers. They take the truth of
these hadiths for granted.
They may not care about the validity of the hadiths or may just
want to make their audiences enthusiastic.
This taking-for-granted of hadiths concerning rewards and
forgiveness during Ramadhan and with no comprehensive study on the
requirements of taubatan nasuha has contributed to the
misperception that the application of the virtues of the fasting
month is bound to time and not to the ongoing activities
of Muslims.
It is not surprising, then, that many Muslims wait for Ramadhan
when they want to do good deeds, such as donating zakat mal
(obligatory Islamic tax according to Islamic laws) and other forms
of charity. They think rewards from God will be manifold if they
do good things during Ramadhan.
This idea is not in line with the Koran, as explained in Sura
al-Baqarah: 261 (The parable of those who spend their substance in
the way of Allah is that of a grain of corn: it groweth seven
ears, and each ear hath a hundred grains.
Allah giveth manifold increase to whom He pleaseth: And Allah
careth for all and He knoweth all things).
What they think and do not only goes against the Koranic verse,
but also contributes to two present phenomena: We see more beggars
around during Ramadhan than in other months, and Muslims of this
misperception have a tendency to be less charitable during other
months. An exaggeration of the holiness of Ramadhan also results
in a temporary approach to the spirit of doing good things.
During Ramadhan, mosques and musala (small mosques) throughout the
country are busy preparing and providing light food for breaking
the fast.
They say what they do is in line with a hadith that says whoever
does a good thing by providing light food for breaking the fast
will be receive the same reward as those who fast.
Understanding this hadith and applying it in this way is not
wrong, but it might be better to understand the context of this
hadith so that we have a more comprehensive interpretation of the
doctrine of Islam.
Considering what has been seen among the Muslim community, if
intellectual Muslims wish to make Ramadhan a stimulus they should
not just focus on such hadiths on the virtues of Ramadhan whose
validity is questionable. If they must refer to such hadiths, they
should explore their intrinsic meaning so that the good values
taught during Ramadhan will not end once Ramadhan is over.
To understand these intrinsic values, humans should use their
instincts and ego as a starting point. Naturally, humans tend to
forget others when they have power.
They will feel they are part of a community and need
acknowledgement from others if they don't have power.
In line with this condition, Arabic writers came up with the
saying "Jawwi` kalbak yatba`ka" (make your dog hungry and it will
follow you). This statement can hold true even if the dog is loyal
if it is satisfied.
Such statements were coined based on observations of how humans
behave when they, as creatures of Allah and part of the community,
don't have power or are in trouble. This attitude is justified by
Allah.
One of his hadiths, Hadith Qudsi, explains that within humans
there are two pieces of equipment: the mind and desire.
The mind quickly stands to accept its own essence, while desire
with its ego only sees itself. Desire with its ego has been made
hungry by Allah for thousands of years just because when it was
asked "Who are you and who am I?" it has always answered "I am I
and you are you".
After being left hungry for that long, desire eventually
acknowledged itself as His creature and Allah as its creator.
Symbolically, this Hadith Qudsi shows that if desire controls
humans, greed and egocentricity are dominant.
In the effort to control these traits, humans need to be made
hungry by fasting so that they see there is Allah to whom they can
ask for help and protection, and also so that they see they need
to ask the community around them for help when they are powerless.
So, where do the virtues of Ramadhan lie? In our opinion, they lie
in Muslims' activities while fasting. We come to see this from the
effort of being made hungry with desire by fasting and being
requested to do more good things at the same time.
Naturally, when humans are hungry and there is food or a food
substitute beside them, they will automatically eat.
However, those who explore the virtues of fasting see that
charitable attitudes and vertical piousness should also exist.
The Prophet Muhammad set a good example in this. He gave a date,
the only food he had to break the fast with, to a hungry person
who came to him.
He just drank water to break the fast. This tells us how fasting
teaches Muslims to refrain from eating, drinking and having sex,
while giving more infak (liable donations) and sedekah (voluntary
donations) at the same time.
This is to educate our instincts that tend to prevent humans
giving donations to those in need. Those who make themselves
hungry may face a condition in which they become physically
weaker. Muslims whose physical condition is weakened from the
fasting but struggle very hard to go on, conduct more religious
activities and give infak and sedekah truly implement the virtues
of Ramadhan. Muslims of this type deserve what Allah promises:
forgiveness and manifold rewards.
When the virtues of Ramadhan are interpreted this way, we believe
Ramadhan is endless. Muslims with this interpretation of the
virtues of Ramadhan will refrain from their desires, overcome
greed and share with others.
Muslims who have received these virtues in their heart and in
their practice deserve to get manifold rewards throughout the
year. For us, manifold rewards lie in the hands of Muslims who
share with others and are able to refrain from the desires such as
greed, coveting and arrogance.
<Mahmudi Asyari obtained his doctoral degree from Jakarta State
Islamic University. Muizzudin is a lecturer at the University of
Indonesia>.
* * *
*MOSQUE A SYMBOL OF RELIGIOUS HARMONY*
Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post, North Lombok | Thu, 08/25/2011
Peace and unity are beautiful. This message has been consistently
maintained by residents of Karang Pangsor hamlet at Pemenang
district in North Lombok regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).
It is demonstrated by Jami'ul Jamaah Mosque, which was built in
collaboration by followers of three religions --- Islam, Hinduism
and Buddhism --- in the late 18th century.
"It has become our tradition that we invite the participation of
Hindus and Buddhists whenever we renovate the mosque. We work
together with a spirit of mutual aid," Haji Aburrahim, 98, a
public figure from Pemenang Barat village, where the mosque is
located, said on Tuesday evening.
Jami'ul Jamaah itself means "all congregation members", which
indicates the process of its establishment, which involved the
participation of the followers of the three religions. The mosque
stands at the main road heading for Bangsal port, a crossing place
to the exotic Gili Trawangan Island. Renovation work on the mosque
began in 2004 and was self funded. It is half-complete, with the
frame of the building being made from concrete.
According to Abdurrahim, the building used to be made of wood,
with four of its major pillars bearing Balinese carvings. Due to
the renovation, the major pillars are being faithfully restored.
Abdurrahim explained that the Jami'ul Jamaah Mosque was built in
1875 during the golden era of King Anak Agung Gede Ngurah from
Bali, who once ruled part of Lombok Island. Construction on the
mosque began at around the same time as construction had recently
finished on the Lingsar Temple in West Lombok.
"According to our ancestors, materials to build the mosque were
taken from leftovers from the construction of Lingsar Temple. At
that time, King Anak Agung demanded that the construction and
maintenance of the mosque be jointly conducted by the Muslims,
Hindus and Buddhists living here," he said.
Abdurrahim is part of the old generation that experienced the
Dutch and Japanese colonial periods. He remembers that whenever
there was any threat against local people due to colonialism, the
four main pillars at the mosque would discharge a kind of oil that
was very beneficial to the local community in fighting against
their aggressors.
Even though there is no written history about the mosque, facts
show that messages from the ancestors have been passed down
through the generations.
"That's why renovation of the mosque still involves the
participation of Hindus and Buddhists," said Mustafa, head of the
mosque's youth organization.
The mosque is located amid residential complexes where followers
of the three religions live. According to Mustafa, before working
together to renovate the mosque, Hindu and Buddhist followers were
involved in gathering building materials like cement and sand.
Hindus living in Karang Kauhan hamlet, according to Abdurrahim,
have long stayed there, while the Buddhists are Sasak tribemen,
who have long embraced the philosophy of the Buddha.
So close is their friendship that they always invite each other
for ceremonies such as marriage or thanksgiving, even though they
are of different religions.
"In return, whenever there is a planned construction or renovation
of a temple or monastery, Muslim youths are also ready to help,"
said Adi, a university student from the village.
* * *
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