T

he repeated violence in the name of religion, including the recently torching of a Shiite boarding school in Sampang, Madura, prompts the question of when violence in the name of religion can be snuffed out once and for all?

When will the world be able to witness religion as a giver of blessing and peace? Swiss theologian and philosopher Hans Kung was likely right when he proclaimed: “There will be no peace among nations without peace among religions and there will be no peace among religions without dialogue among religions.”

I want to add this statement by saying that: “There will be no dialogue among religion without the readiness of each party to respect the ethics of dialogue.”

So what are the ethics of dialogue? According to my understanding of the Koran, there are at least three points that should be gripped by anyone who wishes to hold dialogue. The first is that there is no insult to belief system adhered by each follower of the sect of religion. Even Sunda Wiwitan, a belief adhered to by the Baduy tribe in Banten, deserves to be respected.

The second is that there is no coercion in religious affairs. Religion surely is the individual choice of someone that cannot be forced by an outside power. The third, since the salvation of each adherent of religious sect absolutely belongs to God, the matter of salvation actually isn’t an object that can be discussed.

There is a false Jewish belief that their descent from Abraham entitles them to be regarded as “God’s chosen people”. The Koran responded through the chapter of al-Baqarah, verse 62, which stated that the idea of “salvation” is made conditional upon three elements only: belief in God, belief in the Day of Judgment, and righteous action in life. So while it is the rights of each group to claim that they are on the right path, it is irrelevant to discuss whose sects or whose groups will enter paradise and whose groups will be dumped into hell.

Why is it difficult for followers of religions to interact peacefully in a civilized way? It should be admitted that there are two sides of any religion. While religion can be used as a force for peace and tolerance, at the same time it also can be used as a tool to incite hatred and intolerance.

Din Syamsuddin, chairman of Muhammadiyah, in his paper titled The role of religions in promoting intercultural understanding toward sustainable peace said that there is a disintegrative force of religion that manifests itself in at least three characteristics of religion which always appear in the consciousness of the believers.

First, religion brings about absolutism. This becomes a consequential outcome of personal and subjective belief toward the Absolute Being or God. Absolutism is often followed by rejection of other faiths. In many cases, absolutism becomes a root cause for fanaticism, exclusivity and extremism, which encourage conflicts in both the intra and extra levels of a religious community.

Second, religions teach expansionism, that is, a doctrine on the obligation of the believers to spread their belief to other people. The history of religions bears witness to the fact that all religions expanded out of their birth places.

Expansionism, which has ideological legitimacy from the Holy Scriptures, is believed as a sacred mission to be undertaken. The problem starts to occur when the mission is undertaken by each religious group against the other. An inevitable interaction thus arises and becomes a driving factor for tension and conflict.

Thirdly, religion also has a penetrative tendency into non-theological areas, such as society, politics, economy and culture. This penetration, which takes the form of acculturation between religion and culture, may proceed in two possible ways: absorption of religion into culture or absorption of culture into religion.

The interaction between two realms; each has its own defenders, has stimulated religious conflict with a cultural dimension, or cultural conflict with a religious dimension in the life of the society. Religious conflict is, thus, multi-dimensional in nature; it is true that it has a theological dimension, but it cannot be ignored that it also includes socioeconomic, political and cultural dimensions. These non-theological factors, sometimes, become primary reasons for conflict and cooperation as well.

Those three characteristics above have prevented religionists from realizing the moral and ethical values of religions, such as love, mercy, tolerance and understanding, in the making of peaceful coexistence, dialogue and cooperation.

It is apparent that, in the case of the attack on the Sampang school, this accident originated from a family rift among Rois and Tajul Muluk and not merely a theological dispute between Shiite and Sunni. Ghazali Said, a cleric with Nahdlatul Ulama in Sampang, said the violence was a result of a family conflict connected to marital affairs. “The two groups have also engaged in rivalries of influence. It has grown into a bigger conflict,” he said. (The Jakarta Post, Dec. 30, 2011)

While conflict related to theological doctrine is easier to handle if it is mixed with other interests, the solution is more difficult. However, state apparatus in enforcing the law should not be influenced by religious accusations such as deviant sects, heresy and others.

Finally, while religious expression in the public domain, particularly when it relates to social, politics, economy and culture, is a matter that can be restricted by national law, any discrimination on the basis of religious creed cannot be condoned.

Thus, the burning of the Shiite boarding school indicates two levels of failure. The failure of the religious community to uphold peaceful dialogue ethically in a civilized manner and the failure of the state, including the Religious Affairs Ministry, to protect minority rights, in this case, the rights of Shiite to conduct their religious rituals and expression guaranteed by the Constitution. Pluralism and multiculturalism are more easily talked about than really promoted and practiced in society throughout this country.

The writer is an observer of religion and human rights in Islam, and also a lecturer at State Islamic University (UIN) Sunan Gunung Djati, Bandung