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Peace-loving Muslims must step in to prevent radicalism: Scholar
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Hundreds of young people grouped under the banner of Inter-Ethnic Nusantara push a message of religious tolerance at a Car Free Day event in Jakarta on Sunday. They are calling on candidates of the regional elections on Feb. 15, 2017 to respect the nation's credo of "unity in diversity" and not raise ethnic, religious, racial and intergroup (SARA) sentiment prior to the election.
(tribunnews.com/ Ist.)
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scholar from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta says that this is the time for “peace-loving” Muslims to step in and take serious measures to prevent religious radicalism.
Muhadjir Darwin, a senior researcher at UGM’s Center for Demography and Policy, said only moderate Islam should be nurtured and allowed to grow in Indonesia if the nation wanted to maintain its current multicultural character.
“We want a country with a multicultural character like we have now in Indonesia to be maintained,” he said on Sunday as quoted by Antara news agency.
He observed that the role of moderate Islamic figures in politics had waned, while radical Islam had risen on the political stage. He said he agreed with the sentiments of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) top figure Said Aqil Sirodj.
Muhadjir said the NU seemed to be the only player able to prevent radicalism because he did not see any other organization being as courageous as the NU in maintaining moderate Islam and firmly criticizing radical Islam.
“Muhammadiyah is no longer speaking about it. I regret this very much. If the radicalization of Islam is given space, we will become the Balkans or the Middle East. Poso and Maluku have experienced it,” he said.
“It’s on a regional scale, not national. But if we don’t do anything, like what is happening in Jakarta, the impact will be bigger for national politics,” Muhadjir said. (evi)
