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'Politics is now a matter of life and death': Muhammadiyah warns against deepening polarization

The two-day meeting, which was opened by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, aimed to address rising concerns over the use of religion in politics, particularly ahead of the 2019 legislative and presidential elections.

Ivany Atina Arbi (The Jakarta Post)
Bengkulu
Sat, February 16, 2019

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'Politics is now a matter of life and death': Muhammadiyah warns against deepening polarization Muhammadiyah chairman Haedar Nashir (Courtsesy of /www.muhammadiyah.or.id)

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ectarianism is exacerbating political divisions in the country as voters now view politics as “a matter of life and death” and not a “worldly” issue in which differences are accepted, the leader of the nation’s second-largest Islamic organization has warned.

In his opening speech at a leadership meeting in Bengkulu on Friday, Muhammadiyah chairman Haedar Nashir argued that religious absolutism seemed to have pervaded politics and caused division among the people. 

“Politics is now a matter of life and death that breeds political war and fanaticism [...] Politics is no longer regarded as an issue of worldly affairs, which allows room for differences. It is now associated with faith, which is absolute,” he said. 

The two-day meeting, which was opened by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, aimed to address rising concerns over the use of religion in politics, particularly ahead of the 2019 legislative and presidential elections.

More than 500 Muhammadiyah national and local executives attended the meeting. The group, which runs thousands of schools and hundreds of hospitals, claims to have about 40 million members across the country.

Haedar warned against what he called the “unenlightened implementation of Islam”, which could lead to problems such as extremism, intolerance, misinformation, the politicization of religion and also hate speech and hostility. 

“Religion should be a blessing for all humanity.”

During a visit to The Jakarta Post recently, Muhammadiyah secretary-general Abdul Mu’ti said the meeting in Bengkulu would have as its theme “The Path of Enlightenment in Religious Life”.

The theme has been chosen because the group is concerned about the deepening political polarization in the country, particularly in the presidential election where the candidates are judged on how  Islamic they are perceived to be.

“We see deep polarization in 2019,” Mu’ti said. “Through the use of religious symbols and forums for political interests, such religious polarization is very apparent.”

Muhammadiyah is therefore calling on people to choose the path of moderation in religion, also known as wasatiyyah, to ease tension during an election year.  

“We promote the concept [of wasatiyyah] to prevent violence or extremism,” Muhammadiyah executive Syafiq A. Mughni said, adding that Muslims should stop mixing religion with politics and focus on assessing the programs of election contenders. 

Traditionally, Muhammadiyah has remained politically neutral, although many of its members have been involved in politics.

The group is closely associated with the National Mandate Party (PAN), which is backing Prabowo Subianto in the April election. However, its members or former members are also active in other political parties, including the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), which backs Jokowi.   

“Muhammadiyah does not endorse any candidate-pair and, therefore, allows its followers the freedom to make their own choices,” Syafiq said.

The meeting in Bengkulu is expected to produce a set of recommendations.

In his speech, President Jokowi expressed his concerns about the rise of fake news and how he has been a victim of misinformation. He used the occasion to clarify rumors that he was ever a member of the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). 

At the meeting, the President, who was born in 1961, displayed an edited photo of him standing in front of PKI leader DN Aidit, who was giving a speech in 1955.

“How could it be possible for me to be there when I was born some years later in 1961?” he asked, adding that many still believed the falsehood and used it against him politically.

In his speech, the President also reminded his listeners that Indonesia was a culturally and religiously diverse country, which was an asset that Indonesians should preserve. 

“I call on each and everyone of us to preserve unity, Islamic fraternity and national fraternity for that is the greatest asset the nation has.”

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