The chairman of Muhammadiyah, the country‘s second largest Muslim organization, Din Syamsuddin, was recently invited to Thailand for a series of meetings and visits to that country‘s conflict-torn southern provinces. Following his return, he sat down with The Jakarta Post‘s Tifa Asrianti and Imanuddin Razak to discuss his Thailand trip and his future plans. The following are excerpts.
Question: Can you tell us about your visit to Thailand?
Answer: I was invited for a four-day visit there. I had meetings with Thailand‘s Supreme Buddhist monk, Army chief Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin, the director of the National Security Council, the foreign affairs minister, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
I also visited Pattani, a region in southern Thailand, where I met four governors of southern provinces -- Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla -- and some 500 Muslim clerics from those provinces. I also met the director general of the Southern Border Province Administrative Center.
I had the impression that the King and Gen. Sonthi accept and welcome the role of the Indonesian Muslim civil society, in this case Muhammadiyah, to help create peace and prosperity in southern Thailand. We did not and would not intervene in Thailand‘s domestic affairs or take on the role of mediator, but rather want to help empower Muslims there in education, health and economy.
I told them that Muhammadiyah would be ready to help. We did not discuss the form of the cooperation, as this will be discussed later. We might send teachers, Muslim preachers and medical officers there, or they might come here for schooling ... or short-term education for cultural enrichment.
I concluded the Thai government has a great deal of concern and a willingness to solve the conflicts in southern Thailand, and is committed to building prosperity there.
I suggest the Thai government use more soft power than hard power, like the military, which will only add more problems. Soft power is more like persuasive actions, but it should also come along with efforts to reduce the wealth gap and improve prosperity.
Conflicts do not always have religious motives, but more social and political factors. Sometimes, religion is only used as a justification. Islam in Thailand is a moderate Islam, which is why we should empower them.
I am not the first person invited there. Last year the Thai government invited Mahathir Mohammad and two years ago they invited (Nahdlatul Ulama chairman) Hasyim Muzadi.
What kind of cooperation will Indonesian and Thai Muslims have, besides education?
The cooperation may not only be in education, even though one of the problems there is Islamic education, which is too conservative ... and the curriculum taught is very rigid. As a result, students graduating from Islamic schools get nothing and have no clue about global issues. In the end, they are trapped in the devil‘s ring of unemployment and poverty, which will create a perfect breeding ground for separatism and radicalism.
Is the conflict in southern Thailand similar to the Aceh conflict? Are they seeking autonomy?
Actually, there are not many religious-based separatist groups, only a small minority. In the Muslim community in southern Thailand, the existence of these groups is not obvious. According to information, such groups are found in one or two districts, especially in Yala. In other areas they are not widespread, so it‘s an underground activity and it has signs of terrorism. Rumor has it that global terrorists are based in Thailand, including Hambali who was caught in Thailand.
I confirmed this with Gen. Sonthi. He said that there was such activity, according to their intelligence analysis. So it is possible that there is a similarity with GAM (Free Aceh Movement) in the aspirations for separation.
They also want to relive the glory of the past, when there was a self-reliant Pattani kingdom and they used to have connections with the Kelantan (Malaysia) sultan.
The conflict in southern Thailand is a bit unique and has huge potential for separatism, because there are two factors: religion and ethnicity, with Islam and Melayu in the south and Buddhism and Thais in the north. I told the prime minister and armed forces officers to prevent the third factor, which is the economy and the sociopolitical gap. I can see that southern Thailand is not as prosperous as northern parts.
How do you see pluralism in Thailand and Indonesia?
Pluralism in Indonesia is good, if we see it from the religious side. We recognize an old religion, which is Confucianism, as a new religion. Other countries don‘t have Confucianism as an official religion, not even China.
In Thailand, they accommodate to some extent. Prominent figures from southern Thailand can also play important roles, for example Foreign Affairs Minister Surin Pitsuwan and Gen. Sonthi are Muslims. I can see that the Thai people accept Sonthi as a general and have no objections about it.
There are two things that harm the image of Islam, polygamy and jihad. How does Muhammadiyah view these issues?
Muhammadiyah sees polygamy as an improper action and tends to avoid it ... At the leadership level, the practice may reap harsh criticism and lead to impeachment.
The issue of polygamy is more about a misinterpretation of the Holy Book and the Prophet‘s history, as if the Holy Book allows and obliges it. If we thoroughly understand it, the end conclusion does not encourage polygamy. This misunderstanding supports an incorrect practice that is based on sexual urge.
(The passage allowing polygamy) in Surah Annisa begins with "and", with means the passage is connected with preceding passages. The first says that Islam teaches its believers to have a household life based on passion and give and take. The second says that Islam also obliges believers to pay attention to people outside family line, for example orphans. Then, if you can‘t be fair to orphans and your biological children, you should marry the orphan‘s mother.
Polygamy is allowed (in Islam), but it‘s not obligatory. The purpose is to give more attention to extended families. Unfortunately, the passage is never related to other passages, and the practice is only for lust. Men usually find a younger and more beautiful second wife.
There should be tough requirements, for example it should be based on passion and it must not destroy the existing family.
The Prophet Muhammad had a monogamous marriage with his wife Khadijah for 26 years, even though she was older than he was. He married Aisyah and the war veteran widows three years after Khadijah died.
Jihad is part of Islamic holy teaching, meaning that we should make all attempts to reach the divine purpose, but not necessarily with war.
Jihad can be done with wealth or spirit. It is not with soul, but rather with attitude. Jihad is not related with war, but people often relate it with terrorism and suicide bombings. In Palestine, there is a cleric who allows such actions because they were evicted from their own land and they have no other way to fight for their freedom. the But the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) does not allow this.
We shouldn‘t avoid the term of jihad, just because it has been misinterpreted. We can use the term with new meaning, for example jihad to solve (corruption) cases.
How do you see sharia bylaws?
I do not agree at the level of content. I think Islamic values should be portrayed in ethics and morals, and not in legalization and formalization. Formal enforcement doesn‘t solve problems.
On the other hand, if it is a local administration/community decision, we need to view it as a part of democracy. But there should be a regulation to prevent formalistic and exclusive regional regulations, because the law is for everybody.
The regulation can be put at the highest level, like the Constitution. It is all right to have laws that encompass people‘s aspirations, but they should take the form of consensus.
Dutch laws have influenced Indonesian laws for decades. When we want to change the laws, the available options are sharia, customary law and other laws.
Please choose the one that suits you best. If there are good things in Islamic teaching and the community agrees to it, why not? But don‘t bring Islamic terms into the bylaws, let justice be a communal thing.
I oppose headscarf restrictions in other countries, such as in France. But don‘t make it an obligation either. Let the people choose for themselves.
Rumor has it a political party has approached you about playing a role in the 2009 presidential election?
I am flattered that prominent figures respect me. But it gives me a sense of awkwardness to answer those questions. If I said that I never had such a desire, it would not be completely true. But it doesn‘t mean I have been planning for this. It‘s just things that I pick up along the way.
I want to be honest here, I am committed to the Muhammadiyah conference decision that appointed me as the chairman for 2005 to 2010 and I have spent much time and work to accomplish that.
If I had that opportunity (to take part in the presidential election) and people supported me, it would be an honor, but it would be perceived as fatalistic. As a mandate holder, I would ask Muhammadiyah whether they allowed me to do that. If they allowed me, I would use the available opportunity, under their requirements. If not, I would obey the decision.
About my meeting (Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle chairwoman) Megawati, I want to melt the dichotomy between santri abangan and Islamic nationalists, which I consider a great obstacle for our national life. Islamic nationalism has become an ideology and has been misused by political parties, but it is not like that. When I approached them, people looked through their political eyeglasses and speculated. I think I should not stop just because there is much speculation.
Source: www.thejakartapost.com (28 Agustus 2007)
