By: Ilham Wandono *
From the beginning of its birth, the mosque has been acting as the center of the missionary activities of the Prophet Muhammad and the basis for organizing various matters relating to Muslims. In addition to worship activities or religious rituals, the mosque also functions as a center for cultural, social, political, economic, judicial and educational activities.
Mosques also play a role as a social base to foster Muslim unity and solidarity. In addition, the mosque is also a personal basis for individuals who want to improve themselves, their faith and behavior. So that one function of the mosque is a place to improve morale.
But at this time the missionary activities in various mosques had been missed by the charge of radical nuances of da’wah. Ustaz Syamsudin Uba was in the spotlight when a mosque in Jakarta was alleged to be the place of recruitment of ISIS supporters in early 2016. At that time he filled out a study that discussed the Islamic state in Syria.
Syamsudin was arrested by NTT Detachment 88 and Regional Police for allegedly spreading ISIS propaganda in order to recruit sympathizers. But then he was released after five days in detention because there was no evidence.
The State Intelligence Agency (BIN) and the Pesantren and Community Development Association Foundation said that as many as 41 mosques in government circles were the basis for the spread of radical ideologies. 17 of them were included in the severe category.
Some mosques were also used to spread the ideology of radicalism, there were also those used for consolidation, even some mosque administrators who became travel agents for anyone who wanted to go to Syria.
In measuring radicalism there are also indicators that can be used to measure a lecture. First is the attitude of the preachers to the ideology of the state, both their attitudes towards non-Muslim leaders and the third is the attitude of the preachers to other religions.
Indonesia is indeed a country that guarantees freedom of expression, but da’wah is still preaching, freedom of opinion is free which does not interfere with the freedom of others. So that a regulation is needed in delivering da’wah both directly and through electronic media, such as Article 13A anti-terrorism law, wherein the regulation can process anyone indicated to support, sympathize or join an anti-terror network even though they have no intention or plan to do so. attack.
The government certainly must be concerned in cleaning up radicalism in the mosque environment, such as by providing assistance, monitoring and guidance.
Eliminating something that has a radical stigma is certainly not a simple job. Because radicalism is a sensitive issue on the one hand and on the other side is a complex problem.
The Ministry of Religion also does not want to remain silent, establishing intensive relations with mosque takmir is certainly one of the right efforts to neutralize radicalism in mosques. But to really clean the mosque from radicalism ideology certainly requires a long process.
The Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI) also played a role in eliminating the notion of radicalism, one of which was those who planned to compile a sermon curriculum that would later become the mosque’s guideline in compiling da’wah content that was free from utterances of hatred or war solicitation.
The preparation of the sermon curriculum is deemed necessary because the propaganda of radicalism will increasingly sow the seeds of new terrorism. Indeed, not all radical people become terrorists, but a terrorist is certainly radical. Therefore, it is not excessive if radicalism is a step before getting a terrorist title.
Radicalism can only be in three regions, namely in the mind, family, and finally in the special community area. It is not permissible to understand radicals until they enter public spaces such as mosques, this is because mosques are public facilities that can be used together. Therefore, tolerance must be maintained by being willing to accept other groups of people who have different opinions.
Parents also have a major role in stemming radicalism in Indonesia, parents should be more selective in educating and looking for the best schools for children. In addition, fellow Muslims should not disbelieve – someone’s infidelity, especially from fellow Muslims.
The mosque has a function as a center for community activities. If there are still smells of radicalism in the mosque, then it must be prevented by many parties, one of which is the role of religious leaders such as kiai.
Kiai is a person who has a community, and plays a major role in fighting radicalism by guarding the worshipers of the mosque to avoid understanding radicalism. Kiai or religious leaders also play a role in rectifying the public’s views on the notion of radicalism.
In addition, the role of mass media is also needed to provide correct information to the public about the dangers of intolerance, and radicalism. The attitude of tolerance must also be fostered by the understanding that the minority complements the majority and vice versa. So that no particular group wants to establish its own country.
*) The author is an observer of socio-cultural issue
