Jakarta, wahidinstitute.org
Participants of the National Bahtsul Masail (meeting) on the Role of Pesantren in Preventing Religiously Based Violence eagerly listened to advice from KH A Mustofa Bisri (founder of the Mata Air Foundation) and KH Abdurrahman Wahid (founder of the WAHID Institute) in Jakarta, Monday (24/03/2008). On the same day, they also listened to speeches on the social impacts from Anas Saidi (senior researcher at LIPI) and economy impacts from Hendri Saparini (Executive Director of Econit) which have arisen as a result of violence in the name of religion.

Religiously based violence has been widely studied by the kyai and religious activists who held the forum in Jakarta from March 23-25, 2008. Two issues were given significant attention. First, what is the government’s obligation when it comes to protecting its citizens? Second, how should violence in the name of religion be dealt with legally?

The bahtsul masail concluded that one function of the government was to regulate life in the world, so that communities within it could live safely, securely, and peacefully. The head of government has the duty to protect all citizens, to make them feel safe, guarantee them justice (legal, economic and social), give them social guarantees, and provide them with equality in the face of the law.

One hadith states ‘al-sulthan zhill Allah fi al-ardhiya'wi ilaihi kullu mazhlum’ (a leader is Allah’s image on earth, in so far as he functions as a place of protection for those who are oppressed). The government is obliged to enforce the supremacy of the law. The law must be implemented without discrimination based on difference of tribe, religion, political alignment, geographical location and so on.
However, participants of the bahtsul masail expressed concern over several events that have involved tension and violence amongst religious groups within society. They continue to occur without any comprehensive or fair resolution which protects all citizens.

There are also many elements within the state apparatus which are indifferent to resolving issues fairly and thus intimidation and violence by one group against another, weaker or minority, group is allowed to occur freely. Instead of protecting, state apparatus often discriminate against citizens through the policies and laws they release.

”Our gathering here is also in effort to remove the stigma that all ulama and kyai enjoy declaring other groups deviant,” said one participant, Imran Muin Yusuf, head of pesantren Al-Urwatul Wutsqa, Sidrap, South Sulawesi.

At the end of the event, based on the above mentioned reasons, KH A Malik Madani MA (Yogyakarta), KH Imam Ghozali Said MA (Surabaya) and KH Ubaidillah Sodaqoh (Semarang), read out what the participants of the bahtsul masa’il (facilitated by the WAHID Institute and the Mata Air Foundation) recommended that the government, religious leaders, and society do.

They deemed that the government was obliged to protect all citizens, allowing them to feel secure and guaranteeing their legal rights. The president was expected to “determine a guide based on the nation’s constitution for all state apparatus, including local government, in dealing with religiously based intimidation and violence,” said spokesperson KH A Malik Madani MA.

In addition, they also urged religious leaders to further deepen their interpretation of religious texts, “including the terms jihad and dzimmi (unbelievers), which tend to be used as pretexts for some to take violent action,” KH A Malik said, reading the recommendations from pesantren kyai.

Religious leaders were expected to promote and to help make it easier for their communities to be proactive in initiating forums for inter-religious dialogue, to include their communities in empowerment for mediation, and to protect those groups oppressed by others.

Meanwhile, pesantren heads were urged to refresh perceptions and concepts of nationality by promoting studies into the history of the struggle of kyai in establishing and defending the United States of the Republic of Indonesia. “And also to include fiqh ad-dawlah (civics) into the pesantren curriculum,” KH A Malik emphasised.

They also hoped that society would increase solidarity amongst one another in their dealing with local tensions. “They also need to pay attention to every invitation they receive which contains provocations of violent intimidation, and to always clarify things whenever they receive information which judges a specific group negatively,” the recommendation concluded.

This recommendation, read in Jakarta on March 25, 2008, was agreed upon by KH Abdurrahman Wahid (Jakarta), KH A Mustofa Bisri (Rembang), H Anas Saidi MA, KH Dr Zaki Mubarok (Jakarta), KH A Malik Madani MA (Yogyakarta), KH A Thonthowi J Musaddad MA (Garut), KH Maftuh Kholil (Bandung), KH Imam Ghozali Said MA (Surabaya), KH Imam Nakho’i MA (Situbondo), KH Wasil Syarbini (Jember), KH Dr Musta’in Syafi’i (Jombang), Kiai Mujiburrahman PhD (Banjarmasin), TGH Subki Sasaki and Baiq Ely Mahmudah (Lombok NTB), Hj Hindun Anisa MA (Jepara), Hj Yenny Zannuba Wahid MPA, Dra Hj Maria Ulfah Anshor MA, Dr Rumadi, Dr Abd Moqsith Ghazali, Ahmad Suaedy (Jakarta), Hj Siti Huzaenah (Purwokerto), KH Najib Hasan (Kudus), KH Abdul Chobir (Cipasung Tasikmalaya), KH Baharuddin (Makassar), KH Imran Mu’in Lc (Sidrap Sulsel), KH Ubaidillah Sodaqoh and KH A Buchori Masrurie (Semarang), KH M Dian Nafi’ (Solo), KH Jazuli Kasmani (Klaten), KH Yusuf Chudlori (Magelang), KH Maman Imanulhaq (Cirebon), Kiai Muhammad Furqan (Temanggung), Nanang Maulani (Garut), Dindin Abdullah Ghozali (Bandung), and Fauzi Shahab (Banyumas).