Islam, Humanity, and Indonesian Identity: Reflections on History

289 Pages·2018·1.419 MB·English

by  Ahmad Syafii Maarif

Islam exists in global history with its richly variegated cultural and social
realities. When these specific cultural contexts are marginalized, Islam is
ISLAM, HUMANITY AND
reduced to an ahistorical religion without the ability to contribute to humanity.
This limited understanding of Islam has been a contributing factor in many
of the violent conflicts in the present day. THE INDONESIAN IDENTITY
Reflecting on Islam in Indonesia, the world’s third largest democracy,
supporting the largest Muslim population, Ahmad Syafii Maarif argues for
Reflections on History
an understanding that is both faithful to Islam’s essential teachings and open
to constantly changing social and cultural contexts. Building on this, he then Ahmad Syafii Maarif
addresses critical contemporary issues such as democracy, human rights,
religious freedom, the status of women, and the future of Islam. Through I
s
this book the breadth and depth of the ideas of one of Indonesia’s foremost la
m
Muslim scholars are made accessible for English language readership.
, H
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Ahmad Syafii Maarif is professor emeritus at Yogyakarta State University m
and founder of MAARIF Institute for Culture and Humanity. He was the a
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chairman of Muhammadiyah from 1998 to 2005. i
t
y
a
Ahmad Syafii Maarif is one of the most percipient and profound Muslim n
d
thinkers of our age. His book should be read not only by those interested in t
the future of Indonesian Islam but by every Muslim who cares about Islam, h
e
and as importantly, by every person who cares for the future of humanity. – I
n
Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, Omar and Azmeralda Alfi Professor of Law, UCLA d
o
School of Law. n
e
s
i
Are Islam and democracy compatible in a 21st century nation-state? This a
n
book’s unequivocal answer is yes. Its author, Ahmad Syafii Maarif, for decades I
d
Indonesia’s most distinguished Muslim thinker, develops here his most e
n
authoritative argument. – R. William Liddle, professor emeritus of political t
i
science, Ohio State University. ty

Spyeaacfiei fMula, atorilfe’rsa nptr ionfc dipivael rmsiteys, saangde a cthcaetp tainugth oefn cthica nIsglaem w iills b per oofp ceorlnys isdeeernab ales A
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interest to those, especially in the West, who have become all too accustomed m
to rather different sorts of views. Here is a man worth paying careful attention a
d
to, and it is heartening to see that this English edition of his major work S
will make that possible for a great many more readers around the world. – y
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William H. Frederick, Ohio University Emeritus. fi
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Islam,Humanity,andIndonesianIdentity
leidenuniversitycentreforthestudyofislamand
society(lucis)series‘debatesonislamandsociety’
LeidenUniversityPress
AtpresentimportantdebatesaboutIslamandsocietytakeplacebothinthe
WestandintheMuslimworlditself.Academicshaveconsiderableexpertise
onmanyofthekeyissuesinthesedebates,whichtheywouldliketomake
available to a larger audience. In its turn, current scholarly research on
IslamandMuslimsocietiesistoacertainextentinfluencedbydebatesin
society. Leiden University has a long tradition in the study of Islam and
Muslimsocieties,pastandpresent,bothfromaphilologicalandhistorical
perspective and from a social science approach. Its scholars work in an
international context, maintaining close ties with colleagues worldwide.
ThepeerreviewedLUCISseriesaimsatdisseminatingknowledgeonIslam
andMuslimsocietiesproducedbyscholarsworkingatorinvitedbyLeiden
Universityasacontributiontocontemporarydebatesinsociety.
Editors:
LéonBuskens
PetraM.Sijpesteijn
Editorialboard:
MauritsBerger
NicoJ.G.Kaptein
JanMichielOtto
NikolaosvanDam
BaudouinDupret(Rabat)
Marie-ClaireFoblets(Leuven)
AmaliaZomeño(Madrid)
Othertitlesinthisseries:
Erik-JanZürcher(editor),StudiesontheOttomanJihadatthecentenaryof
SnouckHurgronje’s'HolyWarMadeinGermany',2016
KeesvanDijk,NicoJ.G.Kaptein(editors),Islam,PoliticsandChange.The
IndonesianExperienceaftertheFallofSuharto,2016.
DavidCrawford,BartDeseyn,NostalgiaforthePresent.Ethnographyand
PhotographyinaMoroccanBerberVillage,2014.
MauritsS.Berger(editor),ApplyingShariʿaintheWest.Facts,Fearsandthe
FutureofIslamicRulesonFamilyRelationsintheWest,2013.
Jan Michiel Otto, Hannah Mason (editors), Delicate Debates on Islam.
PolicymakersandAcademicsSpeakingwithEachOther,2011.
Islam, Humanity,
and Indonesian Identity
Reflections on History
Ahmad Syafii Maarif
TranslatedbyGeorgeA.Fowler
LeidenUniversityPress
Coverdesign:TarekAtrissiDesign
Coverillustration:MenaraKudusMosque
(Bagussuroto/Shutterstockid672002719)
Translation:GeorgeA.Fowler
Editor:MegTaylor
Layout:TATZetwerk
isbn9789087283018
e-isbn9789400603080(e-pdf)
e-isbn9789400603097(e-pub)
nur717
©AhmadSyafiiMaarif/LeidenUniversityPress,2018
Allrightsreserved.Withoutlimitingtherightsundercopyrightreservedabove,
nopartofthisbookmaybereproduced,storedinorintroducedintoaretrieval
system,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans(electronic,mechanical,
photocopying,recordingorotherwise)withoutthewrittenpermissionof
boththecopyrightownerandthepublisherofthebook.
ThisbookisdistributedinNorthAmericabytheUniversityofChicagoPress
(www.press.uchicago.edu).
Dedicatedtothosewhosacrificed
themselvesforsocialjusticeandhumanity

Contents
ForewordbyJanMichielOtto 9
AnIntroductiontoAhmadSyafiiMaarif:TheManandThisBook 11
PrefacetotheSecondEdition 21
Preface 23
Introduction 25
 IslamandNusantara 43
Nusantara:WhereFaithsandCulturesInteract 43
TheRiseofIslaminNusantara 54
TheInfluenceofColonialism,Islam,andtheNational
Movement 68
TheBirthofIndonesiaasaNation 77
WorldWarii,theConstitution,andtheProclamationof
Independence 93
IdeologicalClashes:The1955GeneralElectionandIslamversus
Pancasila,1956–1959 100
 IslamandDemocracy 109
WhyIsIslaminHarmonywithDemocraticConcepts? 109
TheEbbandFlowofDemocracyinIndonesia 117
IslamandtheChallengesofCulturalandReligiousandCultural
Diversity 120
TheStatusofWomeninIslam 128
ThePlaceofToleranceinIslam 135
OneIslam,OneThousandExpressions 137
TheGlobalDimensionofIndonesianIslam 148
 IndonesianIslam 159
TheQualityofEducationinIndonesia 159
8 islam,humanity,andindonesianidentity
The“UnityofKnowledge”Concept 162
TheMuhammadiyahonEducation 164
HumansWhoAreMeaningfulinthePerspectiveoftheQuran
166
TowardtheFormulationofaPhilosophyofMuhammadiyah
Education 169
EducationintheNahdlatulUlamaEnvironment 171
ConflictsinFormandContent 175
IslamandIndonesia’sFuture 177
 TheFutureofReligion 185
Islam:AnOpenReligion 185
IslamandReligiousSincerity 195
Symbolism:SaltandLipstick 200
TheGlobalMap:BetweenHopeandAlarm 205
 Islam,Humanity,andIndonesianIdentity 213
Afterword 225
Notes 227
SelectedBibliography 255
Index 265
AbouttheAuthor 285
AbouttheTranslator 287
Foreword
OnthemorningofFebruary11,2018at6.30am,ayoungmanwieldinga
swordassaultedseveralchurchgoersnearSt.LidwinaChurchinSleman,
Yogyakarta.Hethenburstintothechurch,attackedthepastor,whowas
leadingthechoir,andslashedstatutesofJesusandMary.Hehadalready
woundedfourpeoplewhenapoliceman,unsuccessfulinhisattemptto
negotiatewithhim,firedawarningshot.Whentheyoungmandidnot
respond,thepolicemanshothimintheleg.Thenewsofwhatwasfeared
tobeanotherattackbyanIslamicextremistwentviralacrosstheglobe.
WhatdidnotreachinternationalmediawasthereactionofAhmad
SyafiʾiMaarif,oneofIndonesia’smostprominentMuslimpublicintellec-
tualsandauthorofthisbook.When“Buya”Maarif,asheisaffectionately
called,learnedwhathadhappened,heimmediatelywenttothechurch
andthenvisitedtheyoungmaninhospital.Therehespokewithhimfor
sometime,exchangingideasaboutIslam.Afewdayslater,Buyaspoke
inpublicabouttheincident,commentingthat,“Thisyoungmanisa
victimofstupidity…heusesreligiousideasandsentencestopractice
hisideologyofdeath…Ihavespokentohim,toSuliyono…itseems
healreadyregretsit….heisoneofmanyIndonesianswhohavefallen
victimtothisideologicaltrashthatisimportedfromtheMiddleEast,
andwhichunfortunatelymanypeoplebuy….evenworse,itisalready
consideredtrashoverthere,buthereitisvalued….And,ironically,
politiciansdeliberatelymakeuseofit.”
Soonafterwards,BishopRobertusRubiyatmokovisitedBuyaMaarif
at his home to thank him, and said “Buya’s visit helped to calm us
down.Whatemergedaftertheincidentwasinsteadastrongsenseof
brotherhood”.Maarif,happytowelcomethebishoptohishome,said“I’m
onlyasmallcogthatisstrivingtopromotelogicandhealthythinkingin
thiscountry.”
Unfortunately, attacks by organized groups of extremists, or by
‘lonewolves’–asSuliyonoturnedouttobe–havebecomecommon
worldwide.MaarifarguesinthisbookthatIndonesianIslamisaffected
byinternationalforcesinatroubledworld.Yet,tofulfilthepromise
itsfoundingfathersbelievedin,Indonesianeedstoreconnecttowhat
hearguesistheessentialspiritofIslam,thatis,itsadvocacyofjustice,
equality,welfare,freedomandmoderation.
AsprofessorHermanBeckaptlyputsitinhisIntroductiontothis
book,MaarifhasfordecadesbeenoneofIndonesia’sforemostMuslim