Most Islamic studies teachers oppose pluralism, survey finds

Abdul Khalik ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 11/26/2008 7:06 AM  |  Headlines

Most Islamic studies teachers in public and private schools in Java oppose pluralism, tending toward radicalism and conservatism, according to a survey released in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The study shows 62.4 percent of the surveyed Islamic teachers, including those from Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah — the country’s two largest Muslim organizations — reject the notion of having non-Muslim leaders.

The survey was conducted last month by the Center for Islamic and Society Studies (PPIM) at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University in Jakarta, involving some 500 Islamic studies teachers throughout Java.

It reveals 68.6 percent of the respondents are opposed to non-Muslims becoming their school principle and 33.8 percent are opposed to having non-Muslim teachers at their schools.

Some 73.1 percent of the teachers don’t want followers of other religions to build their houses of worship in their neighborhoods, it found.

Some 85.6 percent of the teachers prohibit their students from celebrating big events perceived as Western traditions, while 87 percent tell their students not to learn about other religions.

Some 48 percent of the teachers would prefer for female and male students to be separated into different classrooms.

PPIM director Jajat Burhanudin said the teachers’ anti-pluralist views would be reflected in their lessons and contribute to growing conservatism and radicalism among Muslims in the country.

“I think they play a key role in promoting conservatism and radicalism among Muslims nowadays. You can’t say now that conservatism and radicalism only develop on the streets like what has been campaigned by the FPI (the Islam Defenders Front), but rather deep within the education (system),” he said, referring to a radical Islamic group.

Jajat said such intolerance threatened the civil and political rights of citizens of other religions.
The survey also shows 75.4 percent of the respondents ask their students to call on non-Muslim teachers to convert to Islam, while 61.1 percent reject a new Islamic sect.

In line with their strict beliefs, 67.4 percent said they felt more Muslim than Indonesian.

The majority of the respondents also support the adoption of sharia law in the country to help fight crime.

According to the survey, 58.9 percent of the respondents back rajam (stoning) as a punishment for all kinds of criminal and 47.5 percent said the punishment for theft should be having one hand cut off, while 21.3 percent want the death sentence for those who convert from Islam.

Only 3 percent of the teachers said they felt it was their duty to produce tolerant students.

With 44.9 percent of the respondents claiming themselves members of Nahdlatul Ulama and 23.8 percent supporters of Muhammadiyah, Jajat said the two moderate organizations had failed to establish their values at the grassroots.

“Moderation and pluralism are only embraced by their elites. I am afraid that this kind of phenomenon has contributed to increasing radicalism and even terrorism in our country,” he said.

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Hassan Mulyadi (not verified) — Fri, 11/28/2008 - 11:46am

The concept of radicalism and conservatism that many Islamic organizations in Indonesia or abroad have certainly brought Islam to shame. These organizations have leaders who preached that they are the followers of the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) but in reality they do not. They need to go back to the Quran and the Sunnah which most of them misinterpret for their own agenda.

The FPI is one such example. They create anarchy and cause much unrest at the National Monument, fighting against those who do not see eye to eye to their beliefs. The prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has in his community, when he came back to Mecca after his hijrah, Jews,Christians and other religious beliefs. Prophet Muhammad did not stop them from practicing their religious beliefs but allows them to continue to live side by side with the Muslims.

The failure of NU and Muhamadiyah to establish their moderate values to the grassroot levels is mainly due to their non-stop contest of who is right and who is wrong. A suggestion would be to have only one Islamic organization which practice moderate Islamic values. This organization can oversee the certification of halal to restaurants and other eateries as well as train future uztaz and uztazah moderate Islamic values.

In any case, the Department of Religious Affairs are not doing its job of ensuing moderation and pluralism. It was noted not long ago, that the Department was one of the most corrupted Department of the state. For the sake of the ummah, please do something to wipe out radical Islamic organizations and help us to check on the halal certifications.

I believe that one day will prosper. However, it prospects of advancement is hindered by radicalism and conservatism. It is important that we are open-minded towards people who are not sharing our religious practices. Let's us go back to the Quran and the Sunnah. Allah is great and fair. Prophet Muhammad was sent to correct all the social ills at his time. Don't you think it's high time that we follow his example?

Benedict (not verified) — Fri, 11/28/2008 - 11:34am

Despite of the "intriguing" result, the survey conducted by the Center for Islamic and Society Studies (PPIM) at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University in Jakarta depicts real situation in Indonesian society, especially at the grassroots.
I think we should have to stick on idea that in some ways in doing religion, conservatism is a must have for all religion. But, if it develops into radicalism and even terrorism, it's a "No". For me, doing street-like violence in the name of religion (like FPI) is not a good way to show picture of Moslem which (from my knowledge) love peace. False education perspective can create many new Amrozis (Bali bomber). How do you feel when your child is taught to kill other infidel (including (if must) your family).
The important think is to teach young generation of Indonesian with clear understanding of its own chosen religion and also nationalism. That's, I think, the fundamental for Indonesia with its plural condition.

David Walter, Brisbane (not verified) — Fri, 11/28/2008 - 9:38am

Brad, You know little about history.

The "end of Muslim tolerance" which you date to the birth of Israel didn't in fact start then.

Islam has been at war with the West for well over a thousand years.
Thank God it was turned back in France in 732. And it failed in the first siege of Vienna in 1529, and was routed in the battle of Vienna in 1683.

It set itself up for misery, defeat and a victim mentality because it deliberately closed the gates of independent critical thought about a thousand years ago - and so denied itself a Renaissance, Reformation and Enlightenment. OF COURSE it could not compete with the West technologically and economically.

Why is it that the Arab world has translated in the last thousand years, only about the same number of books that Spain translates every year?

There were FAR more Muslims (Sunni and Shia) killed in the ruinous Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, than have been killed in all the Arab-Israeli wars. Likewise, the continuing violence between Muslims and Hindus in India - nothing to do with Israel.

The fact is, Islam is a violent, whinging, whining, LOSER's religion. Every Muslim country in the world is racked by violence, intolerance, ignorance and stupidity at least among the fanatical devout.

The Muslim Brotherhood was founded by a malcontent misfit in Egypt in the 1920s, and its later leader, the fanatical Sayyid Qutb, wrote his violent terrorist "Milestones" some decades later. The Pakistani intellectual Tariq Ali describes this calamitous book as "repetitive, banal, uninspiring and intellectually offensive". Hmmm ... he could have been writing about the Koran.

And how do Muslim treat their own? Would you rather take your chances as a foreigner in living in Saudi Arabia, or in (say) Britain?

Is Somalia a failed state because of Israel?
Is Pakistan a failed state because of Israel? Does it now have a far lower productive capacity per person than India, because of Israel?

Muslims should look at themselves and their religion in the mirror.
It's a stinking sewer.

Marge (not verified) — Fri, 11/28/2008 - 5:38am

At least Suharto could keep these Muslim radicals under control and the country was not at war with itself.

It is just wrong for children to be sent to a school that teaches little more than mono-maniac views about their worlds.

We need moral (nothing to do with religion, just teaching kids to be honest, kind, compassionate citizens) secular & scientific subjects at all schools.

Brad (not verified) — Fri, 11/28/2008 - 4:27am

What's so surprising about these results ?? If the surveyors turn the table around and ask the same questions about moslems to non-moslems in US (YES, The US who just elected Obama as President) they'll find the same results. Even Obama wouldn't dare to associate himself with his muslim background. Cmon, no matter what, Indonesia is still a developing poor country. You'd certainly expect people to be more conservatives. This survey is such a WASTE OF TIME !!! Jakarta Post can do better than that.
Beside, Islam used to be more tolerant until the birth of the state of Israel. Western & in particular US support of Israel GAVE BIRTH to Muslim radicalism. Why don't we solve that problem first and see if things will change. Cmon guys, let's solve the root cause not the symptoms.

X (not verified) — Fri, 11/28/2008 - 4:26am

one of soeharto's mistake is that he let these thugs alive

Dimas Karya (not verified) — Fri, 11/28/2008 - 1:23am

Government must move fast to stop this or we will see another hostility widely spread along the country. I don't want to see my country is going down because of this. Please do something and let's have as many as tolerant students we can create...

Siti (not verified) — Thu, 11/27/2008 - 10:22pm

"Only 3 percent of the teachers said they felt it was their duty to produce tolerant students." -
is that what you want?? you think that arab moral is better than your thousand-years old culture? you want Indonesia to become arab state with no freedom, arts, music and diversity?
why can't you be muslims but Indonesians at the same time??
think and take action before it's too late

Isach (not verified) — Thu, 11/27/2008 - 5:09pm

Dude, what is wrong with all of you! read the text man, they're religion study teacher. If you have a christian majority schools and ask the teachers will they like to see their student celebrating eid as the muslim do or have a muslim principal in their school of course they will feel the same (remember the opposition from these non-muslim private school when the government ask that muslim students in their school should be provided muslim religious teacher?). Its the same for all faith!
And whats all this stuff about islam preaching hate and intolerance. Maybe you are the one that have been elitist and have segregate yourself from the muslims in Indonesia (if you even live in this country) making you blind of us, trusting the hate-filled, biased, western prespective as your only source of information.
Goodness, I study in an islamic school, helped out in Aceh (we thank you for your generous assistance for the tsunami), attended tabligh preaching with preachers from pakistan and india, grow a beard and yes a muslim that prays 5 times a day and ready to go to Jihad. But not anytime in our community are we thought to convert non-muslim to muslim (as some evangelist may do), to hate non-muslim (as you with all this anti-islamic comments on public domain site such as The Post), or to even to become intolerant by preaching in public about hate (you dont see any indonesian public newspaper making a mock of Jesus as you see the west mocking our prophet with their cartoons& yes ive seen the cartoon). Heck, we have lived with non muslim in java and all over the country in peace all this time (over a thousand year now ever since Islam got here, trust me, if our religion preach those nasty things you have claimed you would not see a 20% non-muslim population in this country practicing their religion). Here some of us marry non muslim wife, have non muslim neighbor, and everything has been nice.
But again tolerance to other does not mean you jeapordise the fundamentals of your faith. Yes we want sharia (only for muslim), yes we want a muslim leader (of course, who knows more about the need of the muslim constituent than a muslim, just as you go to israel and expect them to do the same), yes we think and preach to our children that our religion is the true religion (that why we follow a certain religion, because we belive its right!), no we dont want churches to be built in muslim neighborhood (but you are free to build it in your own neighborhood or in the city center, just as in the US & Australia), and no we will not accept sects deviating from the teaching of our religion to be preached openly (just as you will hate the wife sharing branch dividian sect of christianity in waco texas a decade back to be preached openly).
So quit these crazy comment which only shows that the hate, prejudice & intolarance that you have claimed us to have is definitely inherent in you. Surveys from donor-hungry organizations are nice to hear, but you should go here in live with us, in our kampung, in our neighborhood not in your apartment or condo in jakarta & not to segregate yourself from us to know the hard core facts!

Keith harding (not verified) — Thu, 11/27/2008 - 2:07pm

i wish Suharto was still ruling...i rather have corruption than this....

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