By: Zaki Walad) *
The problem of radicalism in Indonesia turns out to be never finished to be discussed, the ideology that undermined democracy and Pancasila turned out to have spread its echo to take root in the political sector, education, government and so forth. The community also supports the eradication of radicalism to its roots.
We certainly agree that Radicalism is not the teaching of any religion. However in Indonesia, the term Radical Islam has become something that is often discussed by various parties.
Although the term sometimes offends and ignores the sanctity of Islam, it turns out that various track records of radicalism accompanied by the sentence takbir have made the term radical Islam a vocabulary list of Indonesian people in general.
Of course it cannot be denied, in the history of Islam itself, this radical group has existed for a long time, the group is known as the khawarij group.
The khawarij group has indeed been extinct for a long time, but as a understanding of khawarijism or what is commonly called radicalism, it still exists. Abul Ala Maududi (1903-1979) wrote, the khawarij never entered Indonesia, because it was extinct. But its characteristics are used as a model of school fanaticism by all schools in Indonesia.
Specifically, what characterizes this radical group is a formalistic understanding, ritual obedience but lacking in love.
They are very obedient to the formal text of the Koran and the Hadith. They can barely catch between the lines. They take only what is written.
One slogan of the famous Khawarij is “la hukna illa lillah” which means there is no law except the possession of Allah. The motto was born based on the verse “waman lam yahkum bi ma ansalallah fa ulaika humul kafirun”. They punish the infidels who decide the case is not based on the Koran.
Even though the Qur’an does not only contain practical verses, it is even based on the Qur’an that they mean is in accordance with their standards.
Furthermore, coherently this radicalism-wrapped religious group can be found in the past, where they were very obedient in carrying out ritual worship, but very rigid in social relations, even to fellow Muslims.
In Musnad Ahmad, it is said, that in front of the Prophet Muhammad, there was a man who was famously solemn in worship. But the Prophet foretold that that person would be a source of division among Muslims, and according to the male hadith scholars would later become the chief of the khawarij.
So, radicalism is not Islamism, the group that is considered Radical Islam are the people most responsible for the juxtaposition of the word Islam in a movement that clearly deviates from the teachings of Islam itself.
In this case it is not from the verses of the Qur’an or the Hadith of what the Hadith was conveyed, but by who delivered it. Because the teachings about violence and divisions have never been taught by any religion.
We are also now aware that the conservative Arabic-style Islamic culture has come with a massive in Indonesia. Wahabism sympathizers are also increasingly wild in campaigning for the theology of monotheism, which holds that immoral people are considered infidels.
Although radical action tends to decrease, religious radicalism continues to flourish and gain a place in some communities. It is not uncommon for radicals to infiltrate demonstrations against the government.
As a result, radicalism that is still rooted will continue to risk raising social friction such as anti-unity, anti-democracy, separatism and acts of terror in places of worship.
Therefore, we must always keep in mind that we live in Indonesia, a country of diversity. If we are not tolerant and open-minded, then the roots of radicalism can freely influence our minds.
The government also needs to be a locomotive in the development of national unity and welfare in order to prevent Indonesia from being threatened by the ideology of radicalism.
Of course we must understand, that the government’s goal of appointing retired TNI officers to fill positions as Minister of Religion General (Ret) Fachrul Razi, aims for Indonesia to be able to fight and eradicate radicalism to its roots.
) * The author is a citizen, living in Tangerang
