The Beginning of Wasatiyya Islam Discourse Receives Special Attention in Indonesia
The discourse on wasatiyya Islam developed
along with the idea of religious moderation that began to be widely discussed
in post-reform Indonesia. The term wasatiyya Islam itself is widely used
as an idea or concept to fight radical ideas (deradicalization) which are
considered dangerous and have the potential to divide the unity of the Republic
of Indonesia. Radicalism can not only occur in adherents of the Islamic
religion, but in the context of Indonesia, which is a country with a majority
Muslim population, it is very natural that radicalism, extremism, and terrorism
in the name of Islam are more numerous and get more attention.
Questions may arise related to the cause of the
discourse on wasatiyya Islam in Indonesia is more discussed post-reform
than the previous era, namely the new order. Observers believe that the cause
is because radical and extreme believers began to find momentum after the
collapse of the new order which was considered to restrict freedom of
expression. Although these ideas have emerged since the days of the new order
perhaps even earlier, the reform order that promises democracy makes extreme
radical groups more courageous to express themselves and show their identity in
public spaces. Moreover, the end of the new order era and the beginning of the
reform era coincided with the rise of religion globally and the transnational
Islamic network that was judged to be extreme. This is evidenced by the birth
of organizations such as Laskar Jihad, the Indonesian Mujahideen Council (MMI),
the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and other similar groups that are often connoted
with violence and militaristic.
Baca
juga: Malaikat
Maut Yang Berlibur (Ulasan Film Meet Joe Black (1998))
Various acts of violence arising from radical and
extreme understandings have caused many losses. The occurrence of acts of
terrorism and suicide bombings that have occurred several times has cost not
only material losses, but also cost many lives. Seeing this situation, the
discourse of religious moderation began to be widely discussed by many circles
as a step to stop the spread of this extreme radical understanding. The
Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) promoted the idea of wasatiyya Islam
which at the same time was also voiced by mainstream Islamic mass organizations
such as Nahdhatul Ulama (NU) with a concept called Islam Nusantara and
Muhammadiyah with a concept called Islam Berkemajuan.
Concept and Direction Aimed at Wasatiyya Islam Discourse in Indonesia
As mentioned earlier, wasatiyya Islam
discourse developed as an antidote (counter) to the spread of radical and
extreme ideas that have emerged since the collapse of the new order. The
collapse of the new order has opened the door to freedom that gave birth to a
variety of religious patterns ranging from the conservative, literal and
radical, to the liberal. Conservatives select confrontational verses and ignore
verses that are cooperative with other religions to legitimize their actions.
Meanwhile, the liberal faction was born as a response back to the existence of
this conservative group.
Seeing the conflicting condition of tug-of-war
between radical and liberal conservatives, in 2005 the MUI issued a fatwa on
the prohibition (haram) of these two understandings and proclaimed a friendly,
tolerant model of Islamic religiousness and stood amid these groups that many
later referred to as moderate Islam. This idea of moderate Islam is not simply
accepted because many people think this idea contains distortions. Moderate
Islam is considered to adopt Western values and in it are tucked away political
interests. However, it is undeniable that the idea of moderate Islam later
became the reason why the idea of wasatiyya Islam received special
attention.
Before the idea of wasatiyya Islam in
Indonesia was widely known, the first person to be considered to have
popularized the term wasatiyya was the Malaysian Muslim intellectual,
Mohammad Hashim Kamali through his work, “The Middle Path of Moderation in
Islam: The Qur'anic Principle of Wasatiyya”. In his work, Kamali did not
use the wasatiyya Islam nomenclature, but only used the nomenclature of wasatiyya.
Kamali equates the meaning of wasatiyya with the moderation that
affiliate with the meaning of the middle way between two extreme paths.
The nomenclature of Islam wasatiyya became
popular after the holding of the National Deliberation (Munas) IX MUI in
Surabaya, August 24-27, 2015. At that time the MUI carried the theme
"Wasatiyya Islam for Indonesia and a Just and Civilized World", which
marked the emergence of wasatiyya Islam discourse among Indonesian
Muslims. The MUI introduced the concept of wasatiyya Islam as a moderate
Islam, being in the middle, and leaning neither right nor left. Wasatiyya
Islam teaches not to be extreme in religion but also not to underestimate
religious issues. This is because Islam itself forbids its adherents to ghuluw,
which is excessively included in religious affairs.
The Islamic concept of wasatiyya not only
teaches to take the middle ground in terms of religion, but more than that
which covers all aspects of life, including in social inter-action that will
have implications for life in the world as well as in the hereafter. A simple
example is in the case of almsgiving which when almsgiving all property is not
seen as a good thing and not at all almsgivings when able to make a person
stingy. Almsgiving is worship that can make a good for the giver both in the
world and in the hereafter. But even so, the giver must consider his life in
the world so as not to make him give up all his property because he certainly
has needs or has dependents to be supported. This is the concept of the middle
way contained in the idea of wasatiyya Islam which is the fitrah
(nature) of humankind.
From a brief explanation related to wasatiyya
Islam concepts in Indonesia, it can be understood that this idea aims to stop
the spread of radical and extreme understandings in the name of religion,
especially Islam in Indonesia. This concept is expected to lead Indonesia into
a situation where all its people can live peacefully and avoid various
conflicts in the name of religion, not only Islam but also other religions
embraced by the Indonesian people. In other words, wasatiyya Islam is
expected to be able to become an instrument that can direct the lives of
Indonesian people to a tolerant life that will create harmony and a harmonious
environment within the scope of national and state life.
Reference
Ahnaf, Mohammad Iqbal. 2003. The Images of Enemy Fundamentalist Muslims' Perceptions of The Other. Yogyakarta: Gajah Mada University.
Kamali, Mohammad Hashim. 2015. The Middle Path of Moderation in Islam: The Qur'anic Principle of Wasatiyya. New York: Oxford University Press.
Martin, George. 2003. Understanting Terrorism: Challenges, Perspectives, and Issues. London: Sage Publication.
Najib, Muhammad Ainun and Ahmad Khoirul Fata. 2020. “Islam Wasathiyyah dan Kontestasi Wacana Moderatisme Islam di Indonesia”. Journal of Theologia 31(1), 115-138.
Turmudi, Endang and Riza Sihbudi, ed. 2005. Islam Radikalisme di Indonesia. Jakarta: LIPI Press.
Zainuddin, M. and Muhammad In'am Esha. 2008. Islam Moderat: Konsepsi, Interpretasi, dan Aksi. Malang: UIN Maliki Press.
‘Islam Moderat’ Sebuah Distorsi Istilah -Hidayatullah.com (Accessed on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, at 05:58 p.m. West Indonesia Time)
Baca juga: Sistematika Kitab al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassirun Karya Muhammad Husain Al-Dzahabiy