More Than 7 Percent of Indonesian Muslims Support Radicalism: Survey

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The article was originally posted on The Jakarta Globe.

Bogor, West Java. A survey released Monday (01/08) revealed 7.7 percent of Indonesian Muslims are prone to radicalism — a statistic equalling 11.5 million people.

The survey, conducted by the Wahid Foundation and Indonesia Survey Institute (LSI), was conducted March 30 to April 9 and involved 1,530 Muslim respondents across 34 provinces. The survey used a random sampling method and has a margin of error of 2.6 percent.

The results found 72 percent of Indonesian Muslims do not tolerate and refuse to participate in radical acts, such as attacking houses of worship belonging to other religions, protests or conducting “unauthorized sweeping” on venues not complying with Shariah law.

While 7.7 percent of respondents said they are willing to perform radical acts, 0.4 percent said they had participated in acts already, the survey found.

“The figure is worrying us. With 150 million Muslims in the country, it means 11.5 million people are prone to radical acts meanwhile 600,000 other have done such things. Although it is not a factual number, we must pay more attention to this,” Wahid Foundation research manager Aryo Adi Nugroho said during the press briefing in Bogor, West Java.

The survey also included recommendations to the government, lawmakers and local administrations.

Wahid Foundation director, Yenny Wahid, urged the government to develop learning modules on tolerance, peace and citizenship in more creative way in schools and universities.

The group also demanded the National Police probe and prosecute persons responsible for intolerant acts, including forms of hate speech and discrimination.

Yenny, the daughter of former president Abdurahman Wahid, said local government must stop supporting intolerant and radical groups by providing funding or use of government buildings.

However, the survey also showed irrefutable support of democracy and the 1945 Constitution.

The majority of respondents — 74.5 percent — said democracy is still the best option for Indonesia. When asked about the state ideology of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution, more than 82 percent agreed the two remain the best foundation and ideology.

“Character Education based on Pesantren Tradition” Book Discussion with Gus Mus and Buya Husein

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 “Character Education based on Pesantren Tradition” Book Discussion with Gus Mus and Buya Husein

On Tuesday, April 26, 2016, I was invited to be a resource person in “Character Education Based on Pesantren Tradition” book discussion, representing the other authors. The theme of the event was First Century Anniversary of Bahrul Ulum Madrasah and 191th Anniversary of Bahrul Ulum Pesantren, Tambak Beras, Jombang, East Java. The event was also attended by Mbah (respected) K.H. Mustafa Bisri and Mbah K.H. Husein Muhammad, all of whom are Indonesian influential figures in the field of social and religious affairs.

The book discussion was conducted by Bahrul Ulum pesantren, initiated by its kyais and students, colliding with the First Century Commemoration of Bahrul Ulum Madrasah and 191 Years of Bahr Ulum Pesantren, Tambak Beras, Jombang, to learn from the kyais’ journey within pesantren in the development of flexible and in-depth religious education in Indonesia. The religious education is based on values exemplified by the kyais and nyais, in building students’ great personality.

Hundreds of kyais and gus, and ten thousand of students from Bahrul Ulum and its surrounding pesantrens were enthusiastic attending the event. Their extraordinary enthusiasm was perceived by the committee who were really prepared and helpful, led by KH. Fadlullah Malik, M.MPd. and Dr. Muhyiddin, Deputy President of Wahab Hasbullah University. The committee had prepared four main venues of the event; Main hall in which Gus Mus, Buya Husein, and I as resource persons gathered with four hundreds participants, all of whom were kyais, nyais, and students of Wahab Hasbullah University. Meanwhile, other participants attended the event in two other large buildings and a courtyard, in which dozens of television and high-amplified sound system were placed. The participants were highly enthusiastic following the event through television screen.

Indeed, this commemoration was exceptional, and I was grateful and blessed was able to be together with Gus Mus and Buya Husein, who attracted thousands of participants in the event “Character Education based on Pesantren Tradition” book discussion, written and published by Rumah KitaB in the early 2014.

The event was officially opened by K.H. Irfan M. Sholeh, M.MPd. as the Chairman of Yayasan Pondok Pesantren Bahrul Ulum, and the opening speech was delivered by the head of committee, K.H. Fadlullah Malik, M.Hi. and Dr. Muhyiddin. During the event, the resource persons congratulated the anniversary of Bahrul Ulum.

The book discussion was moderated by Dr. Muhyiddin, as the vice president of Wahab Hasbullah University. In the introduction, the moderator stated that the Character Educationbased on Pesantren Tradition book has successfully mapped and explored pesantren’s noble traditions and reminds the education practitioners to liven up the traditions in this modern era, whose values have eroded the ‘traditional’ living values of many young people in Indonesia.

The moderator invited Ahmad Hilmi as one of the authors to speak first. The author describes the profile of Rumah KitaB organization briefly, then explained the background of the writing, the purpose of the writing, and the methodology. Character Education Based on Pesantren Tradition book is a result of field research, conducted in various schools in Indonesia. The background to the writing is the unavailability of teaching materials that focus on character education in Indonesia. On the other hand, the character development of young people is losing its ground. The number of student’s fights which cause casualties is still high, as well as hates speech through social media that are often motivated by discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, race, and class. The students are losing of the spirit of learning; they prefer to hang out until late at night rather than study, becoming drug users, etc.

This situation shows that the school has no longer served as the central place for character building. It only serves as a means of regular formal learning; it starts at 07.00 a.m. in the morning, students do homeworks and tasks, study for the national exam, then return home later in the afternoon. The important thing is GRADUATED!

It therefore is alarming as the students are only taught to answer the questions during exam, but their characters are not fostered because specific book as a medium to learn values with student-friendly methodology used a primary handbook for teachers in the classroom has not yet been provided. On the other hand, our country has an abundant of educational values that come from pesantren’s noble traditions that have not been explored.

Thus, in the early 2014, Rumah KitaB had successfully written the book, as a result of field research in various pesantrens in Indonesia. The book contains fifteen main values, adopts many poems and stories of the former kyais in pesantren, and describes the values using rich interpretations of various verses in Al-Qur’an and Hadith, concluded from readings of a number of Yellow Books. Therefore, this book can be read for students from different background and educational institutions in Indonesia. Before in Jombang, Rumah KitaB has successfully held a series of training and book discussion in many cities, involving hundreds of teachers and students who represent their respective educational institutions.

After that, the next speaker is Gus Mus, a charismatic kyai figure in Indonesia. He explained that pesantrens in the past put forward the elements of education (tarbiyah) rather than teaching (ta’lim). When this condition is reversed 180 degrees, the pesantren buildings are more luxurious and towered, but the kyais are losing their roles and ”have nothing to do”, because the existing management and organizational structure do not ensure kyai’s involvement in pesantren.

If we want to restore the dignity of pesantren back to the glorious era, today’s kyais need to strive to achieve the level of sincerity like kyais in the past, who never needed anything from the others. Gus Mus greatly appreciated the views of Buya Kyai Husein in one of his works that stated ascetic (juhud) must be encouraged for kyais in the present. However, it is too heavy to be implemented in today’s current situation that, arguably, is too extreme. We can start from the concept of ”simplicity” because simplicity would bring us to “peaceful from within” as the opposite of ”peaceful from the outside”.

According to Gus Mus, characteristic that has been missing from the preachers (mubaligh), educators, and dai now is the spirit of ad-da’wah that reassuring and refreshing. Da’wah spirit spread by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Wali Songo, and Salaf scholars, is eroded by threatening and intimidating behaviors in da’wah. This kind of da’wah is not inviting, but dismissing people. Basically, there is a sharp distinction between the meaning of da’wah (invitation) and amar (command). However, nowadays the meaning of both terms is confused, so it creates an ambiguous concept.

Most kyais in the past did not know the “nationalism” term, but they acknowledged that Indonesia was their homeland, and it must be preserved and must not be destructed or colonized. Therefore, students who did not love their country will be bombarded by the advice of Mbah Wahab, Mbah Hasyim Ashari, and other kyais, who loved Indonesia with their body and soul.

According to Gus Mus, today’s serious concern is that people put forward their interests and search for the verses later. It is inversely proportional to the scientific tradition in pesantren which have responsibility until doomsday. Gus Mus Appreciating the book “Character Education Based Pesantren Tradition” that elevates the stories and inspiring stories in conveying the message, because the methods of the story was not threatening but pervasive.

On the other hand, Buya Husein emphasized on the importance of building awareness to contemplate various shortcomings and social problems that exist, as well as to contemplate the required exit strategy. Social problems are always closely linked to the failure of educational institutions in developing its students’ characters. Therefore, schools should return to its roots therefore the nobleness of the schools, as it has been successfully established in the past, can be restored in the present. Buya Hussein appreciated to the existence of Character Education Based on Pesantren Tradition to remind us the importance of values-based education that has been established by the scholars in the past. After that, Buya Hussein recited a poetry and sang Arabic poetry that rich in values.

The event was closed by a poetry recital by Gus Mus about hubb al-wathan (nationalism) titled “I Still Remember that Melody”, created by Gus Mus himself, and can be found in Character Education Based on Pesantren Tradition book page 38 – 40. In the end, an anthem titled ”Syubbanul Wathon” was sung by all participants. The song was created by Mbah Wahab Hasbullah, famous ulama from Jombang, a colleague of Mbah Hasyim Asy’ari, the founding father of NU.

“Character Education based on Pesantren Tradition” Book Discussion with Gus Mus and Buya Husein

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On Tuesday, April 26, 2016, I was invited to be a resource person in “Character Education Based on Pesantren Tradition” book discussion, representing the other authors. The theme of the event was First Century Anniversary of Bahrul Ulum Madrasah and 191th Anniversary of Bahrul Ulum Pesantren, Tambak Beras, Jombang, East Java. The event was also attended by Mbah (respected) K.H. Mustafa Bisri and Mbah K.H. Husein Muhammad, all of whom are Indonesian influential figures in the field of social and religious affairs.

The book discussion was conducted by Bahrul Ulum pesantren, initiated by its kyais and students, colliding with the First Century Commemoration of Bahrul Ulum Madrasah and 191 Years of Bahr Ulum Pesantren, Tambak Beras, Jombang, to learn from the kyais’ journey within pesantren in the development of flexible and in-depth religious education in Indonesia. The religious education is based on values exemplified by the kyais and nyais, in building students’ great personality.

Hundreds of kyais and gus, and ten thousand of students from Bahrul Ulum and its surrounding pesantrens were enthusiastic attending the event. Their extraordinary enthusiasm was perceived by the committee who were really prepared and helpful, led by KH. Fadlullah Malik, M.MPd. and Dr. Muhyiddin, Deputy President of Wahab Hasbullah University. The committee had prepared four main venues of the event; Main hall in which Gus Mus, Buya Husein, and I as resource persons gathered with four hundreds participants, all of whom were kyais, nyais, and students of Wahab Hasbullah University. Meanwhile, other participants attended the event in two other large buildings and a courtyard, in which dozens of television and high-amplified sound system were placed. The participants were highly enthusiastic following the event through television screen.

Indeed, this commemoration was exceptional, and I was grateful and blessed was able to be together with Gus Mus and Buya Husein, who attracted thousands of participants in the event “Character Education based on Pesantren Tradition” book discussion, written and published by Rumah KitaB in the early 2014.

The event was officially opened by K.H. Irfan M. Sholeh, M.MPd. as the Chairman of Yayasan Pondok Pesantren Bahrul Ulum, and the opening speech was delivered by the head of committee, K.H. Fadlullah Malik, M.Hi. and Dr. Muhyiddin. During the event, the resource persons congratulated the anniversary of Bahrul Ulum.

The book discussion was moderated by Dr. Muhyiddin, as the vice president of Wahab Hasbullah University. In the introduction, the moderator stated that the Character Education based on Pesantren Tradition book has successfully mapped and explored pesantren’s noble traditions and reminds the education practitioners to liven up the traditions in this modern era, whose values have eroded the ‘traditional’ living values of many young people in Indonesia.

The moderator invited Ahmad Hilmi as one of the authors to speak first. The author describes the profile of Rumah KitaB organization briefly, then explained the background of the writing, the purpose of the writing, and the methodology. Character Education Based on Pesantren Tradition book is a result of field research, conducted in various schools in Indonesia. The background to the writing is the unavailability of teaching materials that focus on character education in Indonesia. On the other hand, the character development of young people is losing its ground. The number of student’s fights which cause casualties is still high, as well as hates speech through social media that are often motivated by discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, race, and class. The students are losing of the spirit of learning; they prefer to hang out until late at night rather than study, becoming drug users, etc.

This situation shows that the school has no longer served as the central place for character building. It only serves as a means of regular formal learning; it starts at 07.00 a.m. in the morning, students do homeworks and tasks, study for the national exam, then return home later in the afternoon. The important thing is GRADUATED!

It therefore is alarming as the students are only taught to answer the questions during exam, but their characters are not fostered because specific book as a medium to learn values with student-friendly methodology used a primary handbook for teachers in the classroom has not yet been provided. On the other hand, our country has an abundant of educational values that come from pesantren’s noble traditions that have not been explored.

Thus, in the early 2014, Rumah KitaB had successfully written the book, as a result of field research in various pesantrens in Indonesia. The book contains fifteen main values, adopts many poems and stories of the former kyais in pesantren, and describes the values using rich interpretations of various verses in Al-Qur’an and Hadith, concluded from readings of a number of Yellow Books. Therefore, this book can be read for students from different background and educational institutions in Indonesia. Before in Jombang, Rumah KitaB has successfully held a series of training and book discussion in many cities, involving hundreds of teachers and students who represent their respective educational institutions.

After that, the next speaker is Gus Mus, a charismatic kyai figure in Indonesia. He explained that pesantrens in the past put forward the elements of education (tarbiyah) rather than teaching (ta’lim). When this condition is reversed 180 degrees, the pesantren buildings are more luxurious and towered, but the kyais are losing their roles and ”have nothing to do”, because the existing management and organizational structure do not ensure kyai’s involvement in pesantren.

If we want to restore the dignity of pesantren back to the glorious era, today’s kyais need to strive to achieve the level of sincerity like kyais in the past, who never needed anything from the others. Gus Mus greatly appreciated the views of Buya Kyai Husein in one of his works that stated ascetic (juhud) must be encouraged for kyais in the present. However, it is too heavy to be implemented in today’s current situation that, arguably, is too extreme. We can start from the concept of ”simplicity” because simplicity would bring us to “peaceful from within” as the opposite of ”peaceful from the outside”.

According to Gus Mus, characteristic that has been missing from the preachers (mubaligh), educators, and dai now is the spirit of ad-da’wah that reassuring and refreshing. Da’wah spirit spread by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Wali Songo, and Salaf scholars, is eroded by threatening and intimidating behaviors in da’wah. This kind of da’wah is not inviting, but dismissing people. Basically, there is a sharp distinction between the meaning of da’wah (invitation) and amar (command). However, nowadays the meaning of both terms is confused, so it creates an ambiguous concept.

Most kyais in the past did not know the “nationalism” term, but they acknowledged that Indonesia was their homeland, and it must be preserved and must not be destructed or colonized. Therefore, students who did not love their country will be bombarded by the advice of Mbah Wahab, Mbah Hasyim Ashari, and other kyais, who loved Indonesia with their body and soul.

According to Gus Mus, today’s serious concern is that people put forward their interests and search for the verses later. It is inversely proportional to the scientific tradition in pesantren which have responsibility until doomsday. Gus Mus Appreciating the book “Character Education Based Pesantren Tradition” that elevates the stories and inspiring stories in conveying the message, because the methods of the story was not threatening but pervasive.

On the other hand, Buya Husein emphasized on the importance of building awareness to contemplate various shortcomings and social problems that exist, as well as to contemplate the required exit strategy. Social problems are always closely linked to the failure of educational institutions in developing its students’ characters. Therefore, schools should return to its roots therefore the nobleness of the schools, as it has been successfully established in the past, can be restored in the present. Buya Hussein appreciated to the existence of Character Education Based on Pesantren Tradition to remind us the importance of values-based education that has been established by the scholars in the past. After that, Buya Hussein recited a poetry and sang Arabic poetry that rich in values.

The event was closed by a poetry recital by Gus Mus about hubb al-wathan (nationalism) titled “I Still Remember that Melody”, created by Gus Mus himself, and can be found in Character Education Based on Pesantren Tradition book page 38 – 40. In the end, an anthem titled ”Syubbanul Wathon” was sung by all participants. The song was created by Mbah Wahab Hasbullah, famous ulama from Jombang, a colleague of Mbah Hasyim Asy’ari, the founding father of NU.

What is Bogor Mayor Bima Arya playing at?

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Bima Arya Sugiarto became mayor of Bogor in 2014 on the back of promises to root out corruption in the bureaucracy, restore order to the city’s chaotic streets and resolve the longstanding conflict over the construction of the Yasmin church. With a master’s degree from Monash University, a PhD from Australian National University and experience working with the United Nations Development Programme, he was touted as one of the new batch of reformist leaders who had come to power through direct elections and were set to transform Indonesia. Over recent months, however, his name has become synonymous with religious intolerance.

On 22 October, Bima Arya and other local officials prevented local Shi’a Muslims from commemmorating Ashura, a core celebration in the Shi’a faith that marks the death of the grandson of Ali, the first Shi’a Imam. Bima Arya issued a circular forbidding the celebration for the sake of “security”, saying that it had the potential to make other religious communities uncomfortable. The fate of the Yasmin Church, meanwhile, is still uncertain. Bima Arya has continued the much-criticised policies of his predecessor, Diani Budiarto, who ignored a clear Supreme Court ruling in the church’s favour and sealed the church property after protests from hard-line groups.

During Ramadhan earlier this year, Bima Arya also created controversy by reportedly smashing a glass in a bar that had remained open during the fasting month. And in 2014, he issued a circular urging all residents to stop work and pray at the closest mosque or prayer room whenever they heard the call to prayer. These incidents have created the impression that the so-called reformer of Bogor has some decidedly conservative tendencies.

How did Bima Arya get to this point? Bima Arya and his running mate, Usmar Hariman, won the mayoral election by a slim margin over Ahmad Ru’yat and Halim Hermana. The Bogor General Elections Commission (KPUD Bogor) reported that they won by under 2,000 votes, equivalent to less than 0.5 per cent of the total votes. There were just 673,938 registered voters in Bogor, and a voter turnout of 63 per cent, low by Indonesian standards.

Bima Arya surely knows that he won because Bogor residents were sick of the old mayor, who was more famous for preventing the construction of the Yasmin church and taking on multiple wives than for any efforts to improve the city. Electors wanted Bima Arya to restore order to the city, reduce congestion and improve waste management.

Residents of Bogor are mainly office workers, university staff, students, and traders. Many of the office workers commute every day to Jakarta. As in most areas of Indonesia, the majority of residents are Muslim, with the rest Protestant, Catholic or Buddhist, many of them ethnic Chinese.

However, Bogor is also a centre for hard-line Muslim communities. It is home to the Al-Ghazali Islamic boarding school, led by the preacher Mama Abdullah bin Nuh, where the Indonesian branch of Hizbut Tahrir was established. Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB) has also been fertile ground for conservative Islam, and was home to the Qur’an discussion groups that went on to form the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). There is emerging evidence of the influence of the conservative Wahhabi ideology in the region and it is not uncommon to see women with long black gowns covering them from foot to head, or men in long loose Islamic robes.

Given that many Bogor residents are commuters and new arrivals, they don’t show the same love for their city as, say, the residents of Bandung, who live, work and play in their city. It therefore makes sense that one of the first steps Bima Arya took when he came to power was to encourage residents to fall in love with Bogor, or “Bogoh ka Bogor”. He looked for quick wins, such as improving the city’s public gardens, revitalising public playgrounds, addressing waste management and trying to restore some order to the unruly public minibuses that clog the city’s streets. Bima Arya also promoted cultural events, such as Bogor-themed cooking demonstrations, and held public tours of the city’s unique Dutch architecture.

But Bogor is not known as the city of a million minibuses for nothing. Unchecked development of hotels and malls under the previous administration has also contributed to traffic chaos. The most miserable days are weekends and public holidays, when residents should be able to be out showing their love for their city. Instead they face infuriating congestion.

Bima Arya’s efforts to eradicate corruption in the civil service have also moved slowly. When the mayor came to power he began firing government officials who were suspected of corruption. Recently, however, he has admitted that when power relations are built on money politics, it is important to take a careful approach to combating corruption to avoid being impeached.

Despite these ongoing frustrations it must be acknowledged that public order and the management of city parks have vastly improved under Bima Arya. But as even he admits, waste management is a formidable task. Citizens who litter without any concern for who is going to pick it up – as well as a lack of commitment from city waste management staff – mean that it will be a very long time before Bogor gets a reputation for cleanliness.

Facing these intractable problems, maybe it is no great surprise that Bima has turned to trying to woo the conservative supporters of his electoral rivals. After two years of only modest progress, and being dubbed “Wagiman” (Walikota Gila Taman, or Park-Crazy Mayor) perhaps Bima sees exploiting the intolerance of the Sunni majority toward Shi’a, Christian or Ahmadiyah minorities as a way to boost his waning popularity. But by doing so he has alienated his core supporters, who have begun to walk away.

As a city mayor, Bima Arya’s focus should be on public services and on getting things done, not playing politics. Perhaps his actions can be explained by further political aspirations, for example to the governorship of West Java. The depressing truth is that an anti-minority stance is popular among the conservative voters of the province. But other observers who have known the mayor since high school say that we are now seeing the real Bima Arya. He might seem like a reformist nationalist on the outside, they say, but the inside is Islamic fundamentalist.

Rather than turning their backs on him and allowing conservative groups to dictate policy, Bogor residents still have the potential to turn things around by demanding that Bima Arya demonstrate the strength of character that made people vote for him two years ago. Of course it will depend on which residents Bima Arya chooses to listen to, and the signs are not encouraging so far.

The article was originally posted here.

Launching on Fiqh on Child Marriage Book

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Fikih Kawin Anak: Membaca Ulang Teks Keagamaan Perkawinan Usia Anak-Anak (Fiqh on Child Marriage: Rereading Religious Texts on Marriage in Childhood) book was launched on Thursday, October 8, 2015. The event was opened by the Director General of Islamic Community Guidance, Ministry of Religious Affairs, (Dirjen Bimas Islam) Prof. Dr. H. M. Machasin, M.A. with remarks by the Chairperson  of the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU), K.H. Sulthon Fathoni, M.Si. Present were senior women’s activists, such as Ibu Saparinah Sadli, Ibu Syamsiah Ahmad, Ibu Tini Hadad, and Ibu Zumrotin K. Susilo, and also male activists, such as K. H. Husein Muhammad, a former commissioner of National Commission for Women (Komnas Perempuan). The event was also covered by Kompas in its Friday, 9 October 2015 edition.

The event was attended by a wide range of participants, not just activists, with a good balance of males and females. Rumah KitaB distributed 237 copies of the book at the launch, and interestingly, the chairperson of NU’s tanfiziyah (board) Prof. Makruf Amin, asked for 20 copies, because PBNU will be holding a fatwa session to support the government’s effort to raise the marriage age.

There was quite a  dynamic discussion on how to interpret the texts on child marriage in the launch of the book “Fiqh on Child Marriage: Re-reading Religious Texts on Marriage in Childhood”.

peluncuran fikih kawin anak

peluncuran fikih kawin anak peluncuran fikih kawin anak

 

In the introduction, the Director of Yayasan Rumah Kita Bersama, Ibu Lies Marcoes, M.A., explained that the purpose of this study is to complement social studies on child marriage, in which there is always a religious element used in justifying the practice. In the Constitutional Court’s rejection of the judicial review proposed by women’s activists seeking to raise the marriage age, and in other social/ political experiences that seek fulfillment of women’s reproductive health rights, it is always the case that religious arguments are used as an important foundation by both those supporting these efforts and those opposing them.

Thus, it was no exaggeration when Ibu Badriyah Fayumi, Lc, M.A., one of the resource persons, a female ulama who is highly respected for her excellent mastery of the classical religious text, said that if only the Constitutional Court justices had read the book Fiqh on Child Marriage, their opinions could well have been different and they would have understood and agreed that the marriage age needs to be changed in line with the needs of the current era. First, because the book has very strong religious references; second, because the book also contains data on the dire social and health consequences of child marriage; and equally important, the book examines the political practices of progressive efforts to raise the marriage age in Muslim countries elsewhere in the world.

At the book launch, the Director General of Islamic Community Guidance, Prof. Dr. H. M. Machasin, M.A. said that normatively, it is almost impossible for child marriage to satisfy the requirements for building a strong, healthy family with a proper vision. Fiqh cannot be applied as static law, because from the very beginning it has always been useful to seek solutions to social/religious problems relating to religious law, with a wide range of opinions. The problem is that it is always difficult for fiqh to resolve this diversity of opinions, and therefore the presence of the state is needed to build legal unification. Many efforts have been undertaken by the state, including the Marriage Law and the Compilation of Islamic Law (KHI). Both of these are political products and represent a compromise between fiqh and efforts to moderate Islamic law. Logically, both of these (the Marriage Law and KHI) can be reexamined when a new compromise is needed, for example with regard to raising the marriage age. And in his opinion, this book is an effort to provide a reference as a basis for why child marriage needs to be reexamined.

At the book launch, Rumah KitaB presented three resource persons, all of whom hold important positions, in MUI, PBNU and Muhammadiyah. Dr. Moqsith Ghazali, M.A. is from NU’s reconciliation commission and also a member of MUI; Ibu Badriyah Fayumi, Lc, M.A. is in a very strategic commission in MUI, the fatwa commission; and Ustadz Dr. Fahmi Salim, Lc, M.A., is in MUI’s dakwah (outreach) commission, and also holds a position in Muhammadiyah, with a very conservative and textualist perspective. Nevertheless, with their respective approaches, they appreciated and agreed with the efforts made by Rumah KitaB in offering to reexamine the texts related to child marriage.

Their suggestion was to prepare a very short version of the book, like a policy brief, as a handy reference for judges and decision makers, such as KUA (Religious Affairs Offices), in rejecting the practice of child marriage.

 

Scarcity of Marriage Certificate

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KOMPAS, Jakarta – This past few weeks have been noted by the scarcity of marriage certificate available. The Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare, Agung Laksono, responded to this by stating that this was due to an increasing amount of people who are getting married, while the Minister of Religion, Suryadharma Ali stated that it was due to distribution-related problems.

That statement was obviously groundless. The scarcity of marriage certificate is not a new thing in the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and this may indicate problems arising within the ministry.

From the statements of the top officials of the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA) to the media, this stems from the delay in the budget approval, which culminated in the late execution of tenders for printing and delivery. Up to this point, MORA can shrug and claim that the problem was caused by other institutions, in this case, the DPR (House of Representatives) origins problems in other institutions, in this case the new parliament who only begins to approve the budgets in July.

Between government officials there is one term “hostage by asterisk”, which means a budget submission is not immediately approved, but contains many asterisk signs from the reviewer, indicating the budget submitted contains items that are questionable and need correction. Flagging asterisks to budget items actually shows the government’s intention of creating a clean government.

However, the process of aborting the asterisks is another thing which in it lags behind potential corruption. Reflecting on corruption printing of the Koran, we can trace the collusion between the executive (MORA) and legislative (Golkar elements), which turned out to be the partner printing of the Koran. Would people will use the same logic and apply it to the marriage certificate printing tender and distribution that causes all of them to be delivered too late?

Regardless, this problem is not merely administration carelessness, but the picture of how chaotic the state administration in fulfilling the rights of citizens. In this case, a suspicion of a waging “war of the asterisks” emerges, where the chaos caused by people demanding to get their marriage certificate is used as a weapon to press the government, not to question the budget proposed and to immediately approves the budget. On the other side, this also can be used to press opposing party that the asterisks are not that easy to be omitted without a certain reward. At the end, the war of the asterisks has hold people’s interest in hostage.

Impact
The scarcity of marriage book is not something new. As can be seen in the statistics of the request for marriage legitimation (isbat) in Islamic court. Marriage legitimation, in KHI (Kompilasi Hukum Islam – Islamic Law Compilation), is regulated not only to legitimize marriages happening before year 1974, the year when the Law on Marriages was published, but also for those who lost their marriage documents. The direct impact of the lack of marriage certificate: the marriage has no legal legitimation (KHI article 7) and the children resulted from the marriage may considered as having no civil relationship with his biological father. Data from 2010 Susenas (National Socioeconomic Survey) showed that 35% of Indonesian children has no birth certificate. In fact, according to survey by PEKKA (Women Headed Household Empowerment), in areas such as Adonara islands in East Nusa Tenggara, 67 percent of people do not have one of the three documents relating to the legality of the law: marriage certificate, birth certificates and divorce certificates.

Bappenas (National Development Planning Agency) and MA (The Supreme Court) with the ranks of other legal instruments are trying to overcome this problem by organizing the circuit court for issuing determination of the children as result of marriages, so that civil office can issue a birth certificate for them. The issuance of The Supreme Court Circular Letter (SEMA) Number 6 Year 2012 on Guidelines for the Determination of Birth Registration Beyond One Year Time, collectively has made it easier for the public to own a birth certificate. Based on the SEMA, parents no longer have to earn their marriage determination through the circular courts or isbat, they only have to fulfill the requirements to prove that their children were born from the parents who submitted birth certificate request.

In some areas, the PEKKA survey showed that there were many couples who do not own marriage certificates not because they conducted illegal marriages but because of the absence of the State. During the Aceh conflicts period, marriages are held with the absence of KUA (Office of Religious Affairs) officials. Or, many couples have paid for the marriage certificate, but they did not receive anything in return. When the couples came to the office to pick the marriage certificate, they were asked for extra costs for the nonpermanent employees of the office. The policy states that the Ministry of Religious Affairs asks KUA to deliver the certificate. However, this is not what really happens in reality, especially in regional areas, couples need to pick up the book themselves, and cost them extra fee to pay. This is shameful considering that the Ministry of Religious Affairs is the only ministry granted with the biggest budget allocations, increasing from Rp14.9 trillion in 2008 to Rp45.4 trillion in 2013.

Together with the Director General of Religious Courts, I have attended several circular courts held by the sub-district government offices, registry office, district court and the PEKKA NGO before SEMA Number 6/2012 was issued. The Justice for the Poor program by BAPPENAS really helped impoverished people receive their legal certainty. Children can enroll primary schools without being rejected because they have no birth certificate. People can apply for passports to work overseas, etc., and what is more important, their existence was acknowledged by the state.

The scarcity of marriage certificates is not simply a matter of administration issues. We cannot only point our finger to MORA, but also to other institutions. The marriage certificate scarcity reminds us that clean governance without focusing the perspective to the impoverished people, will only make the people, especially poor ones, being held hostage.

*Lies Marcoes

Mapping of Counter-Family Planning

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GATRA, EDITION July 11 – 17 2013. Commemoration of National Family Day in Kendari, last July 29 was spent by a vigorous campaign preventing early marriage. The National Family Planning Coordination Board (BKKBN) calls it Program Generasi Berencana (Genre) – The Planned Generation. In the same package as The Raise of Minimum Age of Marriage or (Pendewasaan Usia Perkawinan PUP). Two days before the main event, a youth seminar was held in Hotel Azahra, Kendari on June 26, presenting the National Genre Student Ambassador 2012, Shauqi Maulana.

Shauqi, the student of Lambung Mangkurat University Banjarmasin, explained about the three factors that trigger his province, South Kalimantan, to be the first-ranked in child marriage occurrence in Indonesia: the fear of being an old maiden stigma, economic situation pressure, and religion. The activities were then continued with “Genre Festivities” on the Public Park of Kendari City. In front of hundreds of youth, Head of BKKBN, Fasli Jalal, explained about the three crucial problems of youth, namely: teen pregnancy, drugs, and HIV/AIDS.

Fasli mentioned a 2010 research by ANU and University of Indonesia in Jakarta, Tangerang, and Bekasi regarding premarital conception where a total of 22.7% of teenage girls under the age of 20 became pregnant before marriage. The next day, June 27, held an obstetric seminar at the Haluoleo University, Kendari. One of the focuses was the medical risk of child marriage.

The Family Planning (KB) campaign does not only contain conventional themes that having two children are enough, which is often targeted at married couples. Dissemination of KB also brings the issue of child marriage, which is mostly aimed at teenagers. These two issues are equally linked to religious understanding.

Most people make religious ideology as a reference norms and standards of living. Pros and cons of family planning, in its history, correlated with the people’s religious understanding. “The key to the success of our efforts,” said Vice President Boediono at the peak of the Family Day in Kendari, “is how we can make a small, happy, prosperous and accepted by the community as the norm and standard.”

Some people refuse Family Planning using religious arguments, both on the topic of having two children is enough, which emerged since the beginning of the New Order, as well as on the issue of child marriage, which emerged post-New Order. Mainstream Islamic organizations, NU, Muhammadiyah, and the MUI, tend to be resistant during the pilot phase of family planning programs, which is in early New Order era. Family planning programs were addressed carefully so as not to slip in the category of filicide.

Because, in the holy Koran, killing children for fear of poverty is prohibited. There are also teachings that sustenance is the gift from God (QS. Al-Isra`: 31). New mainstream Islamic community can receive KB insofar as regulating offspring (tanzhîm al-nasl) and not limitation (tahdîd al-nasl). Later, more Muslim mainstream groups could receive the KB macro agenda. Even if there is to the KB Macro agenda, it is more in the detail of issues surrounding family planning, such as vasectomy, tubal ligation, or abortion.

To the present KB topic such as child marriage packed within the Genre and PUP program, the fatwa of the ulemas in Padang Panjang, 2009, took the middle road. The decision of the ulemas may be considered as reflection of mainstream Muslim attitudes. The meeting which has been held every three years since 2003 was attended by representatives of mainstream Islamic organizations: Indonesia MUI Fatwa Commission, NU, Muhammadiyah, Persis, and other Islamic organizations, as well as a number of representatives from Islamic universities.

Given the term: the middle way, because on the context of child marriage, the Ulemas fatwa states that from wadh’îy legal perspective, the marriage ceremony is legitimate, but from aklîfîy legal perspective, the marriage can be forbidden if the marriage can cause dharar (danger). Muslim communities face difficulty in prohibiting child marriage. “Jurisprudence does not restrict the age of marriage,” said Amir Syarifuddin, professor of law marriage from IAIN (State Islamic Institute) Padang.

Prophet Muhammad Pbuh married Aisha when she was six years old and slept with her at the age of nine years. The Prophet’s companion, Qudamah ibn Mazh’un married daughter of Zubeir at her time of birth. Umar ibn al-Khattab married Umm Kulthum, the daughter of Ali ibn Abi Talib, when he was little. “Do not always imagine marrying a young child is equal to disaster. We have narrow perception about marriage,” said Amir. However, if there exists a research by competent experts that proves marriage in early childhood could cause harm, according to Amir, a new minimum age of marriage can be recognized by new jurisprudence.

Widespread resistance on child marriage, among others, emerged when the case of Puji Cahyo Widiyanto happened. A businessman from Semarang who called Sheikh Puji, married Lutfiana Ulfa at the age of 12 years. Ijtima ‘Ulama in Padang, in January 2009, backed Puji’s case, which surfaced in late 2008. In denying the widespread condemnation about his marriage, Puji carries a book entitled “Even Aisha had a child marriage!”

Child marriage issue emerged once more when Aceng Fikri, former Regent of Garut, West Java, divorced Octara Fanny, 18 years old, late last year. The controversy of this case had huge impact to the extent of overthrowing Aceng from his title as a regent. This topic attracted wide attention. Highlights to this topic resurfaced when it was revealed that Lutfi Hasan Ishaaq, former President of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), married Darin Mumtazah, a Secondary Vocational School (SMK) graduate.
***

When the mainstream Islamic groups tend to accept KB (family planning), during the reform era, a new wave of KB resistance emerged, originated from the “new” Islam movements, which in the former period worked underground. Their resistance to the limitation of offspring was similar to the NU, Muhammadiyah, and MUI argument during the start of the New Order era. This new group also rejects the anti-child marriage campaign, contrary to the mainstream religious attitude, such as the Padang Ulemas who accommodate the objection to child marriage as long as the marriage would not cause any harm (dharar).

Rumah KitaB Foundation, last July 20, released a study on the current mapping of religious views against family planning. Respondents were divided into three typologies. First, the so-called mainstream Islam, including NU, Muhammadiyah, MUI, PUI, and Al-Irsyad. Second, the local Islamist groups, among others: MT (PKS-based), MIUMI, MMI, LDII, and JAT. Third, trans-national Islamist groups, such as HTI, Salafi, and HASMI.

The study was conducted in six cities: Jakarta, Bogor, Cirebon, Solo, Yogyakarta, and Malang. A discussion was held, moderated by Lies Marcoes-Natsir, Director of Rumah KitaB, presented 3 discussants: Kartono Mohammad, Zumrotin Susilo, and Abdul Moqsith Ghazali. The resistance from this new group did not only argued in jurisprudence, but also multi-faceted.

That attitude was reflected in their arguments on the issue of early marriage. “Currently child marriage is considered a problem,” said Bachtiar Nasir, General Secretary MIUMI, the research cited. “It was a big mistake and a violation of human rights. Give me proof that child marriage caused a population explosion, “he said. “The population explosion is due to adultery. Marriage is the road to blessings; do not consider it as a problem. ”

Opinion that early marriage brings medical and psychological impact, Bachtiar said, “That was only prejudice.” He called this a result of the government’s failure to improve maternal health, thus religion was finally attacked. “The root of the problem, immorality and adultery are not resolved.” He also criticized the condom campaign to prevent AIDS. “That campaign means, please commit adultery, but use a condom,” he said. Efforts to prevent adultery did not appear. “This is a partial prevention,” he continued.

According to Lies Marcoes-Natsir, there is a need of medical arguments for the protection of mother and child health in order for KB to be acceptable. In an obstetrics seminar on Family Day in Kendari, a BKKBN Deputy of family planning and reproductive health, Julianto Witjaksono, explained that children born of early marriage are prone to have a low birth weight and risk of short or stunted growth.

It occurs as a result of the female reproductive being unprepared. The pelvic is still small and the womb is not ready yet. Babies in the womb become malnourished. “Pregnant mothers under 20 years of age give birth to more children with stunted growth, whose body is short and small, and their brains is also small. These children face more risk of suffering heart and blood vessels diseases,” says Julianto.

Currently, in Indonesia, about 45% women were married under the age of 20 years. A total of 4.2% were married at the age of 10-14 years and 41.8% were married at the age of 15-19 years. Kartono Mohammad, in a discussion of the study, warned that every year, Indonesia’s population grew 4 million people, equivalent to the citizens of Singapore. “The number is similar to Singapore’s, but the quality is far below,” said Kartono. He urged that discussion about KB is not always dogmatic in nature. [Asrori S. Karni and Ade Faizal Alami]

Religion, The Factor in the Declining Participation of Family Planning

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JAKARTA, SATUHARAPAN.COM – So far, no other research institutions associated the downward trend of Family Planning (KB) participation with certain religious views. Lanny Octavia, a researcher in Rumah Kita Bersama (Rumah KitaB) conveyed this statement on the results of various assumptions rejecting Family Planning (KB) at the book launch in the Board of Nadhatul Ulama (NU) in Jakarta on Thursday (20/6), conveyed this.

It was suspected that previous low KB participation occurred in rural areas was due to the limitations of contraception, but in urban areas with high availability of contraceptives also does not guarantee high participation rates. This made Rumah KitaB linked this phenomenon with the strong religious currents in Islam.

This research on KB program was conducted due to the declining trend of KB participation.

“We associate this with the program’s strategic oversight in the New Order era. Back then, KB was implemented coercively and involves only in Muslims circle as NU and Muhammadiyah. The non-mainstream Islamic groups felt marginalized and did not have a chance to voice their views, “he said.

This study was mapped starting from the demographic profile of the six areas chosen, namely: Jakarta, Bogor, Cirebon, Yogyakarta, Solo, and Malang.

In the six areas studied, all the population was increased; most KB acceptors are not permanent. There was very low demand for vasectomy and tubal ligation. Maternal and infant mortality rate is very relative.

Study

To examine the strength of the religious currents, a mapping is done for all the groups interviewed. From mainstream groups such as NU, Muhammadiyah, and the MUI, to local fundamentalists such as Indonesian Islamic Propagation Institute (LDII), Council of Intellectual & Young Ulemas Indonesia (MIUMI), Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia – The Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI). Transitional groups under the influence of Islamic movements such as Hizb ut-Tahrir, a tarbiyah group like the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and salafi, were also interviewed.

“In addition to the issue of family planning, we dig their theological views about family. On average they accept early marriage, polygamy, and marriage based on Sharia law. Because they are considered more dignified than adulteries, sex with prostitutes, or free sex of all kinds.”

There are pros and cons related to family planning as a tool of regulating birth. In gender relations, women in average are not entitled to make decisions about the number of children. Women are not entitled to her own body.

The theological factors derived from the Koran and Hadith are interpreted not in support of family planning (KB). KB is regarded as Western conspiracy against Islam. In fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), the use of contraceptives was considered as open genitalia, disadvantages, and exposing nakedness, and is considered unclean.

The results of the study will be used as the basis of organizing material and advocacy campaigns for women’s reproductive rights.

Editor : Wiwin Wirwidya Hendra

Source: http://satuharapan.com/content/read/agama-faktor-penurunan-partisipasi-keluarga-berencana/

Zumrotin K. Susilo: Inconsistencies of Anti-KB Groups

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JAKARTA, SATUHARAPAN.COM – Various rejection assumptions rejection of Family Planning (KB) which were discussed in three books published by Rumah KitaB irritates one woman activist, Zumrotin K. Susilo. The response was delivered at the launch of the three books published by Rumah KitaB at the Board of Nadhatul Ulama (NU) building in Jakarta, on Thursday (20/6).

“Another reason to produce more people to fight infidels, to create an army to defend God. Does God need defending? Does it not mean you are belittling God’s almightiness? They are twisting the fact. Not consistent. They think that God is great, but He still needs and army to defend Him? They say they don’t agree if childbirth is limited, but they say they agree with KB plans. I think there is a thin line between to limit and to plan,” said Zumrotin.

According to the Holy Koran, the distance of every child born should be three years apart. Breastfeeding for two years, and get pregnant again after three years. An inconsistency occurs when someone is speaking with reference to the Koran but having children and ignores the 3 years distance suggested by the Holy Koran.

Let us say there is a political party saying that the rich may have many children, but the poor should not. It is also added that having many children means having a lot of future cadres. To this statement, Zumrotin K. Susilo responded, “Wanting to win elections by disregarding family planning? What if the children choose other parties when they grow up? There is a contradiction between their views and the fact.”

“Even more surprising, they say they practice polygamy because they care for their wives. In order not to bother his wife, he must have another three wives? This is crazy, right? Does he think his first wife is not hurt by his decision? Because he feels bad and sorry for his wife’s condition (illness, etc.), he needs to marry other women? ”

The reason someone is practicing polygamy is because his wife had a baby, or tired, and that is why he is in need of another wife as an expression of affection and a symbol of his understanding to his first wife who had a baby.

“This book, if read by a person who has logical thinking might have caused them to laugh. But this book would be dangerous if read by those who have no logic.” said Zumrotin K. Susilo who had served as Vice Chairman of the Human Rights Commission.

Rumah KitaB Held A Discussion and Film Screening at PBNU

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BEKASI [SuaraBekasiRaya.Com] – Rumah Kita Bersama Foundation (Rumah KitaB) an institution of Islamic studies located in Bekasi and supervised by the Deputy Secretary General of the NU, K.H. Affandi Mochtar. On Thursday, June 20, 2013, Rumah KitaB held a book launching, discussion and screening of short films at NU Building, Lt. 8 Jl. Kramat Raya No. 164, Central Jakarta from 13.00 – 16.00. Lies Marcoes-Natsir, the Director of the Rumah KitaB Foundation explained to the press that the agenda of the event were: Preface and Book Launch by Dr. David Hulse, followed by a Short Film Screening. Kartono Mohammad, Zumrotin Susilo, and Abdul Moqsith Ghazali delivered the presentations, while Lies Marcoes-Natsir moderated the discussion.

Lies Marcoes-Natsir explained that these books launched by the Rumah KitaB Foundation are results of the research on “Islam and Women’s Reproductive Rights” conducted by the Rumah KitaB Foundation researchers, such as, Mapping Views and Attitudes on Family Planning (KB)’ in 6 cities: Jakarta, Bogor, Cirebon, Yogyakarta, Solo, and Malang. This study mapped the Islamic group arguments, both pro and cons to the family planning program.

The findings of the court showed that some of the Muslims are against KB based on arguments from various sides: theology, ideology, social, political, and economic. This fact is important to be known by the observers of population, reproductive health activists, religious leaders, academics, women activists, the media and so on.

Based on this study, Rumah KitaB published three books, each of which is entitled: ‘Maping the Religious Views on Family Planning (KB)’, ‘Three Basic KB Rejection among Islam Fundamentalists, ‘Who Said KB is Forbidden? Rejecting the View of Islamic Fundamentalist on the Prohibition of Family Planning ‘.

“We greatly appreciate the willingness of fellow journalists to come in response to Rumah KitaB Foundation’s invitation,” said Ustadz Mukti Ali, one of the foundation’s researchers via cell phone to the SuaraBekasiRaya.Com on Wednesday (19/6) evening. [Tigto]