Indonesia’s Violent Orthodoxy
by Richard Kraince
Posted June 13, 2008
On June 1 thugs involved with an Indonesian militia known as the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) assaulted peaceful demonstrators at a rally promoting inter-religious tolerance at Indonesia’s National Monument in Central Jakarta. Dozens of civil society activists were injured as Islamic extremists—clad in white to insinuate piety—attacked unsuspecting activists with bamboo rods.
The incident occurred on Pancasila Day, a national holiday commemorating the 63rd anniversary of the establishment of Indonesia’s national ideology, which comprises belief in a monotheistic God, a just and civilized humanity, national unity, democracy through deliberation, and social justice. The victims of the attack, gathered under the banner of the National Alliance for Religious Freedom and Conviction (AKKBB), were largely members of progressive Islamic organizations who had come from across the archipelago to reassert their common commitment to Pancasila values.
In a press release issued before they were attacked, the activists criticized the government for ignoring the growth of sectarianism and religious radicalism, which they view as threats to Indonesia’s very foundation. They identified illegal church closures, the destruction of temples, the expulsion of minority religious communities from their land, and even killing of individuals considered “deviant” in their faith as symptomatic of a nation that has lost its way.
Of particular concern to consortium members is the situation of the Ahmadiyah, a minority sect that split from the main branch of Islam more than 100 years ago over the issue of whether the Prophet Muhammad is to be considered the religion’s final prophet. One can think of the Ahmadiyah as akin to the Church of Latter Day Saints in terms of incorporating the views of modern prophets while maintaining the primacy of the founder of their faith.
In March 2005, I brought a delegation of American peace activists to the West Javan city of Cirebon in order to participate in various inter-religious dialogue activities. The visit was one of a series of international exchanges implemented by Ohio University’s Inter-Religious Dialogue Project, which I directed from 2003-2006. One of the most moving memories I have from this visit is the impassioned plea for support made by an Ahmadiyah member and the affirming conviction with which Muslim community leaders promised to broaden protection for all minority religious groups in the area.
The tenor of the meeting reflected the time-honored spirit of mutual assistance and respect that has long characterized Indonesia’s diverse society. One hears similar sentiments in conversations with street vendors, taxi drivers and other common Indonesians who are disturbed by growing divisions among religious groups: “We help them build their churches; they help us build our mosques. I can’t understand what all the fuss is about over religion nowadays.”
Unfortunately, local goodwill has been increasingly trumped by antagonistic rhetoric coming out of national level institutions. In June 2005, just three months after our delegation’s visit, the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) issued a fatwa expressly condemning the Ahmadiyah sect. Within a month, members of the Islamic Defenders Front began staging illegal attacks on Ahmadiyah facilities in West Java. They eventually destroyed the Ahmadiyah congregation headquarters near the city of Bogor as well as numerous Ahmadiyah mosques in other parts of the province. District level authorities did not arrest those responsible for the violence, but instead responded by formally banning the Ahmadiyah. In light of the impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators and the success of their efforts, it was unsurprising that similar attacks were carried out on Ahmadiyah followers on the island of Lombok in 2006. I interviewed several as they arrived in Bali with their terrified children and the few belongings they could carry.
Now, three years since the attacks were initiated, we see that those responsible have grown so confident of their impunity that they are targeting not only the marginalized Ahmadiyah but mainstream Muslims who dare speak out against their campaign of intolerance. With their attack on the AKKBB at the National Monument this month, they have also brought their violence to the very heart of the Indonesian nation.
One would expect that the incident would finally impress upon the Indonesian government of the need to uphold its own laws against such thuggery. However, the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, leader of the world’s third-largest democracy, has responded by issuing a “joint decree” along with some faction of parliament that officially criminalizes Ahmadiyah religious practice.
Since identification with an officially recognized religion is required by Indonesian law, the estimated 200,000 Ahmadiyah followers across the county will now be compelled to accept a state-sanctioned interpretation of Islam or commit apostasy in the eyes of the rabid Islamists who have burned their mosques and homes. Those who believe there should be no compulsion in religion and who continue to follow the Ahmadiyah faith will face up to five years in jail.
Remember Reformasi? It was the rallying call of Indonesian youth a decade ago as the nation emerged from four decades of authoritarian rule. Ten years on, as the world studies the economic successes of China, India and Brazil, Indonesia distinguishes itself by following the model of Pakistan, which made Ahmadiyah membership a legal offense back in 1984.
Mr. Richard Kraince is Research Professor of Southeast Asian Humanities at the College of Mexico. He is completing a book entitled “Moral Reform? Islamism in a Democratizing Indonesia.”
