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Stand up for Indonesia

Posted in Irshaddering Thoughts on Jun 15, 2008

 

What freedom of belief looks like in Indonesia 

In the world’s biggest Muslim country — a country whose constitution expressly promotes “unity in diversity” — freedom of belief is under serious attack.

For the past week, Indonesian Muslims have been writing to me in outrage. They’re angry not only about the erosion of religious tolerance in their secular state, but also about the rising violence of the so-called Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).

The FPI and other Islamists have convinced (or intimidated) Indonesia’s democratically elected government to impose restrictions on a minority sect of Muslims, the Ahmadiyah.

What makes the Ahmadiyah so threatening? They believe that Muhammad is not the final prophet.

Heresy!

Blasphemy!

Never mind that when Islamists put the Prophet Muhammad on a pedestal, they’re effectively worshipping a human being and engaging in idolatry — which is the ultimate heresy in Islam because it challenges the final authority of God Himself.

But that’s just a silly detail to Islamists. Any Indonesian who openly advocates tolerance of the Ahmadiyah is thus a target of Islamist wrath.

Which is why, earlier this month in Jakarta, the FPI crashed a peaceful rally for religious pluralism. They injured a dozen people, prompting many more Indonesians to write me and plead that I shine a spotlight on what’s going on.

What’s really going on is an epic struggle between faith and dogma. Faith is secure enough to handle questions. Faith never needs to be threatened by questions. Dogma, on the other hand, is always threatened by questions because dogma, by definition, is rigid and brittle. It commands conformity, fears diversity and snaps under the weight of doubt.

The FPI’s violence, along with their movement to ban the Ahmadiyah, only shows how insecure the faith of Islamists actually is.

To be sure, the Ahmadiyah have dogmatists too. In my own country of Canada, Ahmadiyah spokespeople have vociferously condemned my book, characterizing the questions in it as a form of anti-Muslim hatred. Fear knows neither irony nor shame.

Still, being denounced by the spokespeople of any Muslim sect won’t stop me from advocating religious freedom for them — as long as they practice their religion without violence. As a Muslim, I believe that only God possesses the full Truth. So while I’m on this earth, I have to embrace my limited knowledge and help foster an environment in which we can disagree with each other in peace and civility. That’s not just an act of humility. It’s an act of faith — faith, that is, in the ultimate wisdom of the Creator.

If any Muslim country can cultivate such an environment, it’s got to be Indonesia. Here’s a young electoral democracy with a vibrant civil society and a constitution that enshrines humanitarian principles.

At the same time, it’s a country struggling to emerge from the habits of authoritarianism after decades of dictatorship, Dutch colonization and now, Saudi imperialism. The Wahhabis are investing big dollars in Indonesia’s Islamists, leading to the spread of tribal customs — including violence — in the name of Islam.

The people of Indonesia offer something infinitely greater to Islam than Arabia’s desert does. After all, Indonesia has 17,000 islands, more than 300 ethnicities, scores of languages and a demonstrated history of co-existence among Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists. In short, Indonesia represents the pluralistic promise of Islam.

Around the world, reform-minded Muslims and our non-Muslim allies need to support Indonesians in their fight to maintain religious tolerance. Their success matters to our own security and humanity. As I say in my book, “the stakes demand a cross-cultural vision.”

How can you help? Sign this petition against Islamist death threats and show that you’re ready to stand up for secularism, freedom of conscience and universal human rights.

Then get more informed:

* Read my additional observations about Indonesia here and here. Also worthwhile is this article published by YaleGlobal Online.

* My recent book launch in Jakarta generated a lot of media coverage, which I’ve posted here and here.

* If you prefer watching a TV interview, click here. I speak in English and sub-titles appear on-screen.

* People relate to people, so pix matter too. Here’s my Indonesian photo album. Enjoy the inspiring smiles of the people I met in Jakarta and Jogjakarta.

* Download, for free, the Indonesian translation of my book.

One final action: Ask your friends and family to sign the anti-death threat petition.

Use this blog entry to educate them about the fact that in so many ways, Indonesia’s future is our future.