Ahmad Syafii Maarif

Based on my own experience and involvement for years in promoting and fostering peace through interfaith dialogue and cooperation in Indonesia, one thing is conclusive. That is, creating a sincere brotherhood between different faiths is not only possible but necessary and surprisingly beautiful.

My intimate and warm friendships with non-Muslim minorities be they Catholic cardinals, bishops, laymen, Protestant fathers, priests, Buddhist and Hindu monks and Confucian leaders has deeply convinced me that humanity is really one.

More than that, my other important and more striking point to note is that believers should not only cooperate among themselves, but should also be ready to coexist with and accommodate non-believers and even atheists, and vice versa. The only conditions required for this peaceful coexistence are that each party must have mutual respect for one another and not have any hidden agenda to eliminate each other.

When I said atheists should be accommodated, certain Indonesian ulemas and intellectuals began to feel angry and then soon questioned my theological position as a Muslim. One of them was deeply disappointed and restless and was even ready (through his friend) to request an edict (fatwa) from the Central Board of Muhammadiyah regarding my statement on atheism.

But after I explained to him the Koranic background of my view, he and his friend have remained silent. This may mean that he and many others like him have limited and very little knowledge of the Koranic texts in relation to the theological recognition of humanity's free will and free choice.

According to my reading of the Koran, God in fact offers freedom to all human beings to believe or not to believe, and the risk becomes their business with God in the hereafter. In other words, one who claims to be an atheist or an apostate cannot be brought to court to face religious punishment, as many classical Muslim fuqaha' (legal theorists) adhere to.

In Indonesia, this issue is still far from reaching any fixed religious solution. It seems that there are not many ulama who have the religious courage to rethink and reopen the Koran more contextually and freshly.

The progress or otherwise of Islamic civilization will largely depend on the ability of Muslims themselves to creatively respond to the challenges of the day. Any interpretation of religious texts is always time-bound. Because of this, even a scholar of caliber has no right to monopolize the truth. The Koran strongly prohibits mankind to be blind followers of the ulema.

The militant and radical groups are, however, ready to shed their blood to defend the fatwa of classical Muslim jurists. The Bali and Marriot bombers, blood-thirsty personalities who deliberately killed innocent people, would be upset if the right to punish atheists and non-believers is totally abrogated from Muslim classical legal documents.

For these terrorist groups, killing other people who differ ideologically from their religious view is in some cases their way to earn money. Therefore, what really happens here is none other than a misuse of religion for the lowest worldly interests and purposes. The Koran is firm that killing one single human being means killing all humanity. I quote: "... if anyone slays a human being -- unless it be as *in punishment* for murder or for spreading corruption on earth -- it shall be as though he had slain all mankind; whereas, if anyone saves a life, it shall be as though he had saved the lives of mankind".

To be fair, not only certain helpless Muslims monopolize the practice of suicide-bombings -- some other religious disciples have also almost done the same. The feeling of humiliation and acute despair experienced by certain people may be responsible for these kinds of wrongful acts.

When moving strategically in a direction of a humanistic understanding and interpretation of Islam, the main stream Muslims in Indonesia, represented by Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) will face a great historical challenge in the near future. The non-Muslim minorities, in particular, have a sincere and serious hope that Muhammadiyah and NU will continue their important role in becoming an umbrella for all people in the country, regardless of their faith, creed or spiritual denomination.

Indonesia as a nation and even the world at large should show their gratitude to these major streams that are moderate, open-minded and modern in their worldview, sharply distinctive from their counterparts in many other Muslim countries. In hunting terrorism, for example, we fully back Indonesian police so that they can effectively accomplish their job.

Though the Indonesian archipelago remains fertile ground for terrorist activities and attacks, the space in which they may move freely has become limited and narrows daily, due to the police's tight and shrewd strategy to immediately end domestic terrorism. The police's strategy will be more effective in dealing with terrorism if the whole population, including the government officials, are obliged to give support to it.

The writer, former Chairman of Central Board of Muhammadiyah and Founder of MAARIF Institute, can be reached at syafiimaarif@maarifinstitute.org or maarif1935@yahoo.co.id

This is an excerpt of a speech he delivered during the Magsaysay Award 2008 in Manila recently.

— JP