Karim Raslan

Karim Raslan: A Malaysian Gus Dur?

Gus Dur: the affectionate nickname for Abdurrahman Wahid, the former president and leader of the 40-million-strong Muslim association Nahdatul Ulama.

Gus Dur-ian: a supporter and admirer of Gus Dur — essayist, raconteur, thinker, defender of minorities’ rights, blue-blooded kyai , progressive Muslim leader and iconoclast.

All told, Gus Dur was a peculiar Indonesian figure — a wheelchair-bound, nearly blind cleric who straddled the worlds of politics, religion and social activism, a man who enthralled and at times dumbfounded his audience with his maneuverings.

However, this doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have fans elsewhere in Southeast Asia. In Malaysia, in particular, there has been a sense that people have needed a Gus Dur — a moderate Islamic leader with a deep and intuitive understanding of the Koran as well as a commitment to democracy, civil liberties and justice.

Malaysian Muslims have long been more conservative than their Indonesians cousins, a situation exacerbated by the country’s delicate racial balance as the more dynamic Chinese and Indian communities have thrived economically.

Last week, just as Gus Dur passed away, Malaysia experienced a minor crisis — one that would have energized the great man given his innate understanding of the intersection between the sacred and the secular.

Malaysia’s high court granted a Catholic weekly newspaper the right to use the word “Allah” in its publications. The unexpected decision sent the UMNO-led government into apoplexy as politicians and their allies argued — a little unconvincingly — that Malay Muslim sentiment would be outraged at hearing the Christian God being referred to as “Allah.”

Unlike in Indonesia, where the national language has been adopted universally, most non-Malay Malaysians conduct their religious ceremonies in their vernacular tongue. However, there is an added complication. In the Bornean states of Sarawak and Sabah, the Dayak and Kadazan peoples use Malay exclusively and, since most are Christian, they’ve long referred to God in their services as “Allah.” This practice has become increasingly fraught as Malaysia has become more Islamic and internal migration has led to even larger Sarawakian and Sabahan communities in Peninsular Malaysia.

Interestingly, a senior cleric and politician from the ultraconservative Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), Nik Aziz, immediately expressed his support for the controversial court decision. With his bold move, Nik Aziz managed to pull his entire party into a more moderate position, winning substantial support from the influential Chinese and Christian communities.

Indeed, Nik Aziz, himself an aging cleric, is a colorful figure given to wry comments that would delight (perhaps, at times appall) a loyal Gus Dur-ian. Despite ruling the northern state of Kelantan for more than 20 years, Nik Aziz has remained humble and unaffected. His integrity and incorruptibility have earned him national respect, notwithstanding the establishment’s attempts to besmirch his reputation.

Much like Gus Dur in the years when he was struggling against Suharto’s immense power, Nik Aziz has had to use his steeliness and intellectual agility to promote his cause. Moreover, he has thrown his support behind the more progressive voices within the PAS. He has become a staunch advocate of democracy, civil liberties and transparency. The party’s move to the political center is also outflanking Najib Razak’s increasingly shrill, authoritarian and corrupt party, the UMNO.

Still, the “Allah issue” is a defining moment for the nation. Is Malaysia a plural and inclusive nation? Are the country’s race-based policies sustainable?

Gus Dur would understand the predicament and the challenges. He would also have the courage to plow on, initiating dialogue and understanding across religious lines. He was not a perfect leader, but looking back at his life and career is relevant in this age of extremism and violence.

Indeed, the path to a more plural Malaysia may lie in the hands of the ulema. Nik Aziz’s steps are along a path charted by the bookish young man from Jombang, East Java, a man whose career has shone the light of democracy into pesantrens and madrassas across the Islamic world.

Gus Dur, we salute you. At heart, we’re all Gus Dur-ians.

One can only hope and pray that we will be inspired by Gus Dur’s spirit in the difficult months ahead.

Karim Raslan is a columnist who divides his time between Malaysia and Indonesia.

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