By Ahmad Fawaid Sjadzili*
In the extraordinary High Level Conference forum of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OKI) three years ago, King Abdullah ibn Abdul Aziz stressed the need for the collective cooperation of all Muslims in fighting against extremism and backwardness. According to him, this effort would only be possible through straightening out and cleaning logical reasoning form deviating views, and not through violence (Ahram, 8/12/05).

The phenomenon of violence which is present in nearly all corners of the Muslim world is witness to how fragile the current joint commitment is, in addition to how poor the Muslim world’s understanding of the meaning of unity and love is. “The unity of Islam can only be achieved through faithfulness, love, and honesty in words and actions, not through bloodshed,” he stressed.

He gave a similar explanation at the Conference for Inter-religious Dialogue in Madrid. He believes difference does not have to lead to conflict. That conflict has occurred throughout the history of mankind is a fact, yet it is not so much due to religious diversity, but rather because of the extremism of some religious adherents and political ideologists (Asharq al-Awsath 17/7/08).

The extremism within religion is a time bomb which can, at any moment, flare up to become the raging fire of uncontrolled conflict. This is how it has always been in the history of religion – conflict, due to the suspicion of one religious group towards another, causes unwarranted fanaticism of those involved.

In this kind of a context, King Abdullah feels he must stress the need to spread moderate and tolerant Islamic teachings, because he is aware that there are adherents of Islam – or other religions – who have extreme dispositions. “Islam is a moderate and tolerant religion which invites its community to promote dialogue.” This declaration is indeed a fresh breath of air, coming from the number one man of the Holy Land of Mecca, a country that is often stigmatized as a land of conservatism and extremism.

Of course the effort to fight extremism will not happen without the collective commitment of all the countries in the world. It is impossible to achieve a peaceful future without having the same political desires to realize peace. And peace can only be achieved by eradicating the extremism which undermines religions and political policies.

An Equal Position
Unfortunately, this noble hope is faced with overcoming the hegemony of one country over others. The dream of creating a collective commitment for world peace has to face the arrogance of one country towards others. America’s hostility to Iran on the one hand, and Israel’s arrogance on the other, are thorns in the process of realizing this peace mission.

This matter is further complicated by the behavior of political elites who often use sensitive religious issues for their own maneuvers. The case of the Fitna film by Geert Wilders, for example, is an example of extremism that was used by the Dutch politician to meet his own needs. Similarly with the actions of Front Pembela Islam (Islamic Defenders Front) in Indonesia. This shows that the joint commitment to realize peace is not yet complete.

In fact, the effort to realize peace is only attainable if everything is equal. Peace requires equality between all groups, all countries. It is impossible to dream of peace in the midst of an unbalanced situation, let alone in the midst of one country’s hegemony over another.

Here we must be able to value difference wisely. With difference, we can know and understand the other. Of course dialogue is needed for this kind of mutual understanding.

Mohamad Khatami’s suggestion for the need of cultural dialogue, as an alternative to Samuel P Huntington’s naïve prediction of a clash of civilizations, ought to be considered in order to achieve world peace.

NU’s Role
As one of the biggest social organizations in a country with a Muslim majority, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) has a large role in influencing international policy to build peace. Of course this begins with internal consolidation and then involvement in overcoming regional and international problems.

It must be acknowledged that in Indonesia’s current transition to democracy, the stability of the country is being tested by a variety of conflicts. As Guillarmo O’Donnel (1993) reminds us, transition to democracy is not always smooth sailing. The experience of a number of countries during their periods of democratic transition after the overthrow of an authoritarian regime shows that a democratic country is not immediately formed.

On the contrary, instead of achieving democracy, new authoritarianism is born and it cannot be defeated like the previous regime. Further, for established political structures, the transition period gives birth to a temporary crisis of legitimacy. Moreover, if consolidation does not accompany the transition process, it is not impossible that the crisis of legitimacy continues unabated. The spread of religious-based violent conflict from the era of reformation until today is an accumulation of preexisting conflict which only now has found space to express itself.

In the midst of such a situation, NU, as a religious social organization, should bridge the communication gap which is often the trigger for conflict. The NU theological model as a social organization based on Ahlussunnah Wal Jama'ah Islam (Islam which adheres to the Sunnah – words, actions and deeds of the prophet Muhammad - and the community), promotes values of moderatism (at-tawassuth wal i'tidal), equality (al-musawah), and tolerance (at-tasamuh). As such, it is very possible that NU has an active role in the effort to build peace by minimizing and preventing occurrences of drawn out violence.

In the International Conference of Islamic Scholars (ICIS) Forum III, held from July 29-August 1, 2008, in Jakarta, NU is expected to become an alternative option to bridge this gap, and to then formulate strategic agendas to realize peace in the world, as suggested by the forum’s theme: Upholding Islam as Rahmatan lil 'Alamin: Peace Building and Conflict Prevention.

*The writer is an activist for PP Lakpesdam NU

(Suara Pembaruan, August 1, 2008)