TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Abdul Munir Mulkhan: Violence as a result of a shallow grasp on religion
(JP/Simon Sudarman)According to Abdul Munir Mulkhan from Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University (UIN) in Yogyakarta, violence in the name of religion will continue to persist in the future
Change Size
(JP/Simon Sudarman) (JP/Simon Sudarman)
(JP/Simon Sudarman)
According to Abdul Munir Mulkhan from Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University (UIN) in Yogyakarta, violence in the name of religion will continue to persist in the future.
Seventeenth century philosophers criticized religion by saying that it served as a means of perpetuating worldly ambitions. Abdul Munir believes that such criticism can still be felt today.
'Religion is used to cover up crimes. God is considered dead to power hungry humans. Attaining worldly treasures is a life goal to these sorts of people,' said Munir, as the Sunan Kalijaga postgraduate lecturer is commonly called.
Religion and God are being sidelined as religious institutions are merely handling worship services rather than encouraging spiritual welfare.
'Most religious leaders don't make contributions to religion. This has been the case for a long time. There have been advancements in science and technology but God is being reduced to a mere label,' affirmed the member of the Muhammadiyah College Assembly who was born in Jember, East Java.
Religion being used as a cover for violence has been prevalent in Indonesia since the 1960s and 1970s. However, said the father of three and grandfather of two, information on such events was limited as such incidents were happening in far away regions.
As indicated by the 1999 doctorate in sociology holder from Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University, the prevalence of hypocrisy, and the widening gap between the rich and poor have caused certain groups or circles to seek newfound understanding, and as a result, may find themselves getting involved with radical factions. These people feel obligated to deal with sinful people and to change social circumstances in God's name.
'These groups no longer trust the government or the law, calling themselves agents of God assigned to fight their fellow humans seen as culpable and sinful. They take the law into their own hands and go up against other groups in society who maintain different views. So violence and terror have emerged in Indonesia in the name of religion. Sadly, rescuing humans from sin and delusion has to be done through their methods and beliefs,' noted 67-year-old Munir, who continued his postdoctoral study at McGill University, Canada, graduating in 2003.
The belief that they have a sacred task from God has led to their conviction that their faith is the only truth and that they know God's will best. They believe that any other view or faith is wrong and evil.
'They feel they know everything about God's will, even better than God does. God has been utilized to fulfill their ambitions. God has thus been rendered helpless, God is virtually dead,' noted Munir, who became a UIN-Sunan Kalijaga's professor in 2003.
'They may be interpreting the holy book in their own way to justify their deeds in the context of God's compassionate and forgiving nature,' continued the writer of more than 70 books with a cynical smile.
As an example, Munir referred to the Islamic holy book in which God bestows multiple rewards on those who do meritorious work. Munir called it 'reward mathematics', by which God rewards contributions multiple times.
'Those who commit corruption and donate a small sum of the funds embezzled may also have the same conviction. But I don't believe in this interpretation because that is not what God intends,' the member of the National Human Rights Commission for 2007-2012 said laughingly.
On the other hand, Munir noticed some people believe that state treasures and property are non-religious assets so they can be taken away, embezzled or stolen.
'Such belief and interpretation have arisen due to people's superficial understanding of religion,' pointed out the former deputy secretary-general of the Muhammadiyah organization.
In Indonesia, people are watching a colossal drama that is turning the essence of religion upside down. Munir mentioned many events in which evil figures and embezzlers continue to be respected and praised due to their abundant wealth. Consequently, sinners feel they remain sinless.
Superficial understanding of religion, as observed by Munir, who now resides in Kotagede, Yogyakarta, is consumptive and hedonistic, with the tendency to be egoistic,
taking no heed of other people.
'People feel they're more powerful and know better than God. With God's will seemingly understood by men, violent religious conflict is sure to arise,' warned Munir, who began writing in 1970 for various national publications.
