In Islam Unveiled and about fifty gazillion times thereafter I have pointed out that Muslim reformers will always face a well-nigh impossible struggle within the Islamic community, because hardliners will use the Qur'an and Sunnah to portray them as disloyal Muslims. Here is another example of just that. "Hard-liners want JIL evicted before Ramadhan," from the Jakarta Post, with thanks to Witness:
Several Muslim leaders claiming to represent Utan Kayu residents in East Jakarta told district officials late on Tuesday to evict the Liberal Islam Network (JIL) from the area before the beginning of Ramadhan in early October.As district officials were holding a dialog with representatives of the Utan Kayu Community at the Al-Muslimun mosque -- about five minutes walk from JIL's headquarters -- mosque leader Ustadz Syafruddin Tandjung took the floor and at least 100 people shouted their desire to see JIL forced to leave the area.
"They asked the district leaders to solve the matter before the beginning of Ramadhan and said that there was no need for further dialog," recounted Radio 68H production director Heru Hendratmoko, who also attended Tuesday's meeting.
It was not immediately clear what would happen if JIL was still operating by the beginning of the fasting month, which will start on Oct. 5.
Rumors have been simmering that some Muslim extremist groups would attack JIL, which is headed by noted Muslim scholar Ulil Absar Abdala. Ulil recently went to the United States to begin a doctoral course.
The Utan Kayu Community complex, where JIL is located, also houses several other institutions, including Galeri Lontar, the Institute for the Studies on the Free Flow of Information (ISAI) and private radio station Radio 68H.
Hard-line Muslim elements have been pushing for the eviction of JIL since the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued its much-criticized fatwa banning liberal concepts of Islam, secularism and pluralism in July.
The Muslim hardliners are getting bolder and bolder. Recently the DPRD (people's representatives) asked the Mullah Council for a fatwa! And this is afther the Mullah Council had given out 12 fatwas which some people say spurred the closures of churches in West Java.
A lot of Indoneian Muslims consider themselves 'moderate', yet they sympathize with the thugs that forcefully closed down churches recently because those churches were "illegal" based on an edict from 1969 (Religious buildings have to have consent from the population in which it is situated and from the local heads/leaders). They just can not see that that edict is discriminating and against human rights of religious freedom.
What has happened very often is that some churches have permits, yet they were still forced to close. Others have had permits, but when the Moslem thugs found out about it, they went en masse to this church and protested, or they intimidated the local population into signing a petition not agreeing to the building of the church. It is very, very difficult to build a church.
Mosques, on the other hand, have sprouted every where and gets government funding.
The head of the police of West Java where the closing of churches happened, said that it was NOT anarchy. And a week afterwards the President of Indonesia said that human rights have improved in Indonesia.
Unless there is pressure from outside I don't see how this trend will be reversed. The religious minorities are going to suffer more and more. I shudder to think what Indonesia is going to be like 50 yrs from now!
There is nothing like Moderate Islam. Islam or call it real islam, is what written in Koran and Hadiths(Sunnah), these command every muslim to kill the kafirs and enslave their women and children along with loot of kafirs' property. This is neither fundamentalism nor moderation. This is CRIMINAL IDEOLOGY aginst entire humanity.
Iqbal, says "There is nothing like Moderate Islam". I hope that the muslim community can one day prove this statement wrong.
I agree with you at the moment that balance of power is for the extremists, that every Allah damn thing is "divine" and "not subject to change".
Yet things are happening that will see change. In morocco for example the "marriage law & fairer rights for women" has been passed through.
Divorce is now not so easy for men, It is harder to marry more than 1 woman etc over there.
In Egypt, you can vote for a president, which has no effect now ....but the next one will see enormous (possibly bloody) change, but it will happen.
I have to be honest and say that this will take some time. In Pakistan for example the "Huddoud laws" have made it more Islamic and Radicalised.
Although Saud may fund the madrassas, the hate is coming from Pakistan, and this needs to change.
Essentially the steps are:
1) Smaller population growth.
2) More power to women.
3) Less literal interpetration of the Koran.
4) Democracy in 1 Islamic country.
If we see 4) then the other steps will follow. This is why I believe that Dubiya is right to stay in Iraq. If democray principles can be ignited "somewhere" in an Islamic country, extreme Islam may dim in that country, become stable and then have a domino effect in other countries.
The extremists understand this and are fighting tooth-nail to prevent this.
In the mean time people like the Ahammadis (like me) try to push from internally (quietly & slowly) the gentler and yes MODERATE side of Islam.
Naseem:
May you and I and our children live to see the revival of moderate Islam... ...and as soon as possible.
Nothing is constant except change. Any change in positive direction is most welcome. Changes mentioned by Naseem are there but too little, too slow and too late. Islam is like a heavy stone tied to its followers, many of them desparetely want to swim freely.
Moderate Islam will always war with Real Islam, why? Because the Koran exists, and it is written by a war lord (well his scribes, after all this "prophet", who claimed he was better than Christ; yet he performed no miracles, Mohammed claimed he was better than Moses - an Egyptian Jewish Prince who thumbed his nose at the world superpower and parted the Red Sea, Mohammed was illiterate and enjoyed sex with children). Mohammed was a madman and a murderer. His followers are the same. There is abundant evidence world wide for this. The Twin Towers are but one of hundreds.