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Media should promote Islam and democracy: Discussion
Tony Hotland , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 03/05/2008 2:16 AM | World
The media should not highlight Muslim hardliners who take the law into their hands in the name of religion, academics said Tuesday during a discussion organized by the German Embassy called Islam, Democracy and Media Freedom.
The two-day discussion started Tuesday and is set to include scholars, philosophers and members of the media.
Tuesday's speakers included scholars who said controversial or saturated media coverage of hardline groups would tarnish the mostly democratic Muslim population in Indonesia.
The discussion Tuesday also found Islam and democracy had proven their compatibility in the republic, where they said multiculturalism was well preserved.
Speakers at the discussion said democracy in Indonesia was supported by the fact it constitutionally upheld freedom of religion.
Eighty per cent of Indonesia's population is Muslim.
Franz Magnis-Suseno, a reputed scholar from the Driyarkara School of Philosophy said, "Unlike Malaysia, Muslims (here) are legally allowed to embrace a new faith".
"We are seeing unprecedented relations between Muslim organizations and those of other faiths, and it shows democracy survives in a land of Muslims."
This notion was shared by Azyumardi Azra, a professor at the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, who said multi-culturalism in Indonesia was viewed as a strong virtue.
He said the difference between Islam in Indonesia and in other countries was that Muslim organizations here were civil society groups.
"Unlike those in the Middle East, they contribute to the development of a civic society here that is very crucial for democracy," he said.
Azyumardi also cited the victory of nationalist parties in elections as an example of democratic Muslims here, despite the birth of various Islam-oriented parties.
"Above that, Muslims here also practice the same Islamic obligations like those in the Middle East.
"That's why I reject claims that say Islam in Indonesia is more peripheral compared to that in the Middle East," he said.
Hans-Ludwig Frese, a German Islam observer at Kleio Humanities in Bremen, said Muslims in Germany, who were mostly from Turkey, also played an important role in sustaining democracy in Germany.
"The difference is they don't claim allegiance to a specific Muslim organization like many here do," he said.
They said because Indonesia was displaying good relations between Islam and democracy, the media here should contribute by not portraying extremism or fueling controversy.
The latest incident around the media and Islam was the publication of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad in European newspapers, inciting worldwide protests by Muslims.
"What the media need to remember is that Muslims here are committed to democracy, so don't mind the hardliners," Azyumardi said.
"Thus the media should take responsibility for having promoted such radical figures."
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Dola Haddad (not verified) — Sun, 10/19/2008 - 6:55pm
Islam is strong if it's not separated, but what I've been seeing is that mass media, trying to divide islam into pieces, like:
islam liberal radical terrorist and organization - organizations that showing how bad muslim is, you never saw muslim being slaughter in palestine, irak, afgan, chech, but what you see in the news is that muslim are trying to kill you, bomb you..and etc
so what I was trying to say is, let's turn off your tv, and try to learn islam for independence source, internet, forum, and muslim them self.
don't follow demon, in the media.. don't judge a thing in one point of view (that is even not your point of view)
Media=War machine=Propaganda
JUST TURN IT OFF!!
and use your own Head to think.
Brien (not verified) — Fri, 07/25/2008 - 5:54pm
Why should we promote Islam? For the same reason we should support Catholicism, or any religion. There is no reason. In fact that's the whole point, as they all don't have a provable or evidenciary reason for existing. Let them offer the facts and data of their beliefs first, before we give them the credible position to even demand recognition. Blind faith and circular arguments based on quotes from 'holy' books are not acceptable in a reasoning and logical debate.
Ketti (not verified) — Fri, 07/04/2008 - 11:38am
Why we should promote Islam and democracy? Thats what I am thinking of when I read this article. Why we should promote Islam? Is Islam a new religion that we should learn and then make it adjust to the democracy situation? Or should we make democracy adjust to Islam? Which one should we take? In my opinion, Islam is not the new religion that we should promote. Islam is the oldest and the last religion that we all people in the world had recognized in our daily life. Basically, Islam teaches us how to live democracy since we first recognize Islam as our belief. The Prophet of Muhammad promoted three elements of democracy: freedom, justice and peace to us, all people in the world not for moslems only but also non-moslems. So, I think no need to promote Islam and democracy anymore because we already practice it in daily life. What we need to promote here, is how we implement Islam teachings in this situation of democracy that is relatively a new for our society. In the matter of media's role, I think we should not ban media to promote its information sources because that is part of democracy we should keep.
Agusto (not verified) — Thu, 07/03/2008 - 5:08pm
If there is no problem with islam, no one will be discussing about it today! And now the media is to be blamed for having promoted such radical figures? Ok, let's silenced the media now then..or maybe make them be more politically correct rather than factually correct! Ooh dear...
The Reader (not verified) — Mon, 03/31/2008 - 8:04pm
All religious people would want to follow in the footsteps of their prophets. Christians should emulate Jesus, and Muslims should emulate Mohammad. To emulate Mohammad good muslims should follow the sunna and the Quran, the seventh century teachings and practises that are still being practiced by the Arab world today.