‘I’ll Teach My Two Children To Respect the Faiths of Others’

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Death threats and book bombs won’t stop Ulil Abshar Abdalla from speaking his mind. The 45-year-old activist from the Liberal Islam Network (JIL) is on a mission to help Islam open up, and is ready to overcome any hurdles that get in the way. 

Today, Ulil gives My Jakarta his take on religious freedom in Indonesia, tells us what he thinks of people who claim one religion is better than others and explains why he thinks conservatives in Islam are afraid of alternatives.

Firstly, tell us your views on liberal Islam.

There’s a pair of analogies that I like to use. Think of the freedom of an 8-year-old who, after his parents leave for work, can run around the house, breaking the china and jumping all over the expensive linen, doing everything he hadn’t been able to do before. Then look at a responsible adult who is free to do what he believes, knowing that he understands and is willing and prepared to deal with the consequences of his actions. In the first example, the parents are the personification of religious teachings, which then vanish when they leave. In the second example, the teachings stay in your heart. That’s why I say ‘responsible.’ No matter how simply and clearly I explain it, people still think that Indonesian Muslims are 8-year-olds and need to be restrained by their parents.

What gave birth to this view?

I love to read, including the holy texts of other religions. Especially those religions with a similar history to Islam. Studying and comparing the topics of Islamic teachings from the point of view of other religions is very exciting. While other people may think it ‘contaminates’ their faith and thus close off all channels of self-evaluation, I find that it is enriching and that it develops my understanding of Islam.

Are you then compelled to determine which teachings are the correct ones?

No. When I read about other religions I never bother to think about which depiction is more correct or which is better. Of course as a thinking human, you can’t help but compare and look at the differences. But that has never been my purpose. For me, it’s just the excitement of getting new information.

How did you family react to your activism?

My wife’s family is open-minded about religion, while my side of the family is quite conservative. But there are no problems with this; I’ll teach my two children to respect the faiths of others, just like they want to be respected.

Why do you think religious conservatives reject your views?

I have this theory that it comes down to maintaining control over their followers. You see, religiously close-minded people only live by one code, and that is the religious code preached by their religious mentor. So these figures will always be looked up to and have a powerful influence in their community. I never say that their influence is intentionally bad. I really believe the conservatives have good intentions when they ‘herd’ the masses to follow their religious views. But more open-minded people will be less bound by the these rigid codes and are more open to other things they believe are still acceptable. Conservatives may fear that liberals will use their own religious standards of what’s acceptable and what’s not, resulting in them losing their followers. I don’t think they bother to understand my views before rejecting them; they just reject them because they’re different.

Are there any strong figures in government who can protect freedom of belief?

Not really. The government still doesn’t have the courage to uphold Article 29 of the 1945 Constitution that guarantees your right to believe. Instead, fatwas from the MUI [Indonesian Council of Ulema] determine what religion is acceptable or not in Indonesia.

And the use of keresahan masyarakat [social unrest] to justify thwarting others’ beliefs?

This is very sad, ridiculous and ironic. Has it ever occurred to them that Islam and Christianity wouldn’t exist if the Romans and the Meccans used the same reasoning against Muhammad and Jesus, who at the time were spreading new beliefs that were unacknowledged and considered blasphemous? Look at us now. People seem to forget how painful it is to have your religious identity mocked by others. People should start asking themselves why they feel restless in the first place and how their actions may hurts others. For example, I feel restless whenever I hear a conservative ustadz [religious teacher] preaching hate, but never have I used that to stop him from exercising his right to free speech.

How much have your values touched others?

Not long after the first Bali bombing in 2002, there was a Muslim I knew who felt humiliated by the increasing violence related to Islam. He was very close to renouncing his faith until he was exposed to my point of view. He said that thanks to my perspective, he was finally able to draw a clear line under how and to what extent to fight for Islam. Until that point, it was a line that he had found blurrier and blurrier.

Ulil Abshar Abdalla was talking to Antonny Saputra.

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