The government's failure to enforce laws fairly and provide economic prosperity for all has been cited for rising support for the implementation of sharia in the country.

Muslim scholars and activists said here Tuesday that besides the failed legal system and the issue of economic injustice, the failure of both the government and Muslim clerics to educate people about the state constitution and sharia, or Islamic law, also played a role in the phenomenon.

Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) deputy chairman Masdar F. Mas'udi said most Muslims here did not fully understand sharia. He said many proponents of Islamic law pushed for its implementation without any real knowledge of the principles of sharia.

"The essence of Islamic teachings is fulfillment of basic economic needs and justice to live in peace. Most people don't know what sharia is. They know it only as jargon that can cure the current situation of injustice and poverty," he said.

Masdar said efforts to implement sharia focused on the technicalities of Islamic teachings, for instance the cutting off of thieves' hands or the compulsory wearing of the jilbab (veil), without addressing the need for justice and economic empowerment.

Support for sharia has been seen to be growing, igniting fears that it could lead to radicalism and destroy the country's pluralistic nature.

In a recent survey by Roy Morgan Research involving 8,000 respondents nationwide, the majority of respondents (53 percent) supported the introduction of sharia in the country.

The results seemed to confirm an earlier survey by the Setara Institute which found that 56 percent of youths in Greater Jakarta support sharia-based bylaws.

At the level of regional administrations, more and more regions have expressed their intention to adopt sharia bylaws.

Since Aceh officially adopted sharia under the law on special autonomy, 18 regencies/municipalities have adopted sharia bylaws and 37 others are in the process of doing the same.

Setara Institute chairman Hendardi said Muslims longed for a legal system that protected all people, and many hoped such a system could be found under sharia.

Masdar and Hendardi agreed that sharia implementation violated the Constitution by limited freedom of religion, as sharia was exclusively for Muslims

"The problem is few people know about the Constitution, therefore they don't know their constitutional rights. The government has failed to promote an understanding of the Constitution among people," Hendardi said.

"If the government can provide a just legal system by consistently punishing those who are guilty and protecting the innocent, then support for sharia will diminish," he said.

Hendardi said people had lost trust in the existing system and law enforcers, pointing to the current corruption scandal involving top prosecutors at the Attorney General's Office as an example of the system's breakdown.

Popular

RI, Australia strengthen partnership on taxing crypto assets

Analysis: Indonesia denies normalization with Israel to enter OECD

Citroen to produce electric cars in Indonesia