Rising Culture of Intolerance Blamed for Religious Attacks
May 10, 2010
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374117The MUI, “The Council of Indonesian Ulama”), was founded in 1975 on the initiative of the then President Soeharto as a national government-sponsored organization to function as a kind of interface between the government and the Muslim community at the national level - and the FPI (which the CIA world factbook sees as so noteworthy that it declares it a "Political Pressure Group", together with other groups as KontraS and ICW) are acting as the executing branch of the MUI. That's I believe the reason why nobody dares to touch a hair on this group (anyway Habib Rizieq is soon out of detention - if he's not yet and then - yippieh!!!). Has anyone ever seen a fatwa issued by the MUI against radical groups as the FPI - I don't believe there will ever be!
that was the cause of the problem, point of view where they deemed wrong or right.
FPI is identically with a violence. i ever watch FPI video in youtube, their leader speech a very horrible thing.
why indonesian goverment always keep this group alive?
I would welcome discussion with FPI secretary general Sholeh Mahmud Nasution in the light of his comment, "...“Everything has a process. The FPI now is different. We’re more principled, we accommodate discussion first, and then resort to force, but only if our disappointment has peaked,” he said.
Then, before your members attack another Catholic/Christian church please come and discuss with me, as a Catholic, why your Muslim religion states that we Christians believe in a God who is Father, Mother and Son. Because we don't and never have - not even one misguided heretical sect in Christianity's 2,000 year history has taught this. But on the basis of false understanding of the central tenet of Christian belief, Islam calls Christianity a false religion and attacks it.
Well lets discuss this confusion openly.
I suggest however, that the problem with Islam, and why fundamentalism is on the rise, is because 'discussion' IS NOT permitted, even amongst Muslims let alone with people's of other faiths. This is because groups like the FPI see themselves as having the answers to everything. And so even when discussions, with other Muslims or with people of other faiths, takes place, its a one sided discussion.
FPI: - "Listen to us, We are right, you are wrong. Do what we tell you, or else. End of discussion."
The mere fact that Nasution admits that 'discussions' sometimes end in the use of 'force' as a result of 'disappointment', indicates to me that and dialogue with the FPI is a dialogue with a 'deaf' person.
Dialogue means that both parties can learn something from each other, accommodate without compromising things of importance and learn to respect what is good and true and beautiful in the other. Unfortunately there are too many Muslims who say to people of other faiths, "We can learn nothing from you." That is not Christianity's problem, but Islams. And it is the reason for much frustration within the Muslim world. Fundamentalists and hardliners are painting Islam into a corner. That , I suggest is the cause of their frustration. It is self-made.
....not forgetting of course that the Police force in many places where this occurs actively stand by and allow, almost condone lawless abuse by burning and destruction of church property. Who within the Police force gives the OK for this to happen ?
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The recent spate of attacks against Christian places of worship could be blamed on a culture of intolerance fostered over the past decade, according to observers.
Ulil Abshar Abdalla, a Nadhlatul Ulama member and the founder of the Liberal Islam Network (JIL), blamed the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) for the rise of conservatism and radicalism in Indonesia.
“They issued an edict in 2005 forbidding pluralism. This makes interreligious dialogue difficult and stigmatizes the people working toward it,” he said, adding that much of the MUI board was conservative.
“Conservatism is a lot easier to digest because it’s simple and doesn’t require much thought. It also gives a false sense of protection from the outside world.”
The country’s socio-economic situation played a role in this too, according to University of Indonesia anthropologist Iwan Meulia Pirous. He said religion had an absolute authority, and the recent economic crisis made people turn to religion.
“People cling to religion in times of crisis, and radical groups use this to mobilize the people, especially those in economic hardship,” he said.
Groups like this also succeed by fomenting a culture of fear and intolerance, Iwan said. “The government fears poverty could also nurture socialism, so it allows the religious right to thrive. That’s why it’s hard to disband such groups, because they’re being nurtured by the government.”
Ulil said the government and Islamic organizations often underestimated groups that promoted intolerance toward other religions.
One hard-line group that has grabbed headlines is the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI). Even with founder and chairman Habib Rizieq jailed for 18 months in October 2008, its ranks are not dwindling.
FPI secretary general Sholeh Mahmud Nasution told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday that the organization would always fight against what it deemed was wrong, and blamed its poor reputation on subjective media coverage that focused only on conflicts rather that their underlying reasons.
“Everything has a process. The FPI now is different. We’re more principled, we accommodate discussion first, and then resort to force, but only if our disappointment has peaked,” he said.
“The public is never told that the FPI tries to pursue peaceful mediation. And sometimes there are provocateurs from outside who want us to riot.”
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