As part of efforts to develop a tolerant attitude towards other religious communities amongst leaders of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) in West Java, the International Center for Islam and Pluralism has been facilitating training seminars in cooperation with AusAID on the topic of multiculturalism. These training sessions have been conducted with teachers, both male (ustadz) and female (ustadah) from pesantren throughout West Java. The aim is not to indoctrinate participants, but rather to provide them with some insights into what multiculturalism really is, and how it can help create a more tolerant atmosphere in the pesantren and the community as a whole.
The fourth installment of this training program was held at Hotel Taman Aer, Puncak, West Java from July 17-21, 2006 and featured several speakers from universities, government and civil society in Indonesia.
Among those participating were Dra. Badriyah Fayumi, L.c. (Commission VIII, House of Representatives), Prof. Dr. Komaruddin
Hidayat, Dr. Moeslim Abdurrahman and finally KH. Hussein Muhammad, from the Policy Board of FAHMINA. The topics covered throughout the program included "Islamic Perceptions towards non-Muslims", "Islam and Diversity", "Tradition of Diversity in Pesantren" and "Equality of Men and Women". The participants also had a short discussion session with Australian Volunteer Jordan Newton on non-Muslim perceptions towards Islam in Australia. While this was not part of the original program, participants wanted to take the opportunity to hear non-Muslim views on Islam, particularly in light of AusAID's sponsorship of the program.
Participants were invited to consider what was being discussed in the speakers talks, and then pose questions to the speakers as well as discuss issues from the talks in groups. Many questsions were focused on the hot-issues of what exactly is meant by multiculturalism and pluralism, and just how exactly Muslims should understand these concepts in relation to the texts of al-Qur'an and Hadist (sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh), and in their interaction with non-Muslims.
The concepts of pluralism and multiculturalism were at the forefront of discussion once again. The
speakers made an effort to differentiate pluralism as it it sunderstood in public conciousness at the moment post-MUI fatwa, from what pluralism really is. Dra. Badriyah Fayumi and Komarrudin Hidayat in particular argued that the MUI fatwa has perhaps mistaken pluralism for parallelism or relativism, strongly arguing that pluralism is not an attempt to make all religions the same, but rather establish respect and tolerance amongst religions. However even on the issue of tolerance there as debate, with discussion centering around just what should be tolerated in society. Ultimately speakers and participants agreed that tolerance was a must, but that defined limits to such tolerance should also be established.
Similarly regarding non-Muslims, participants agreed with the speakers that non-Muslims should be respected and tolerated, however there are challenges in conveying this to the grassroots. International issues such as the recent outbreak conflict between Israel and Palestine generate emotions and distrust towards non-Muslims which are sometimes difficult to manage or control. However, speaking from a non-Muslim perspective, Jordan Newton explained to participants that pluralism and relations between members of different religions and ethnic groups represented a process which would take a long time to come to terms with, and that even Western countries are still attempting to deal with these problems.
There was also particularly vibrant discussion on issues regarding the position of women and even in understandings of Islam,
and to what extent women should be active in the public sphere with regards to KH Hussein Muhammad's talk. The varying understandings offered by different participants displayed that gender and women's issues remain an important issue for Muslims to come to terms with. Some participants argued that women should be able to participate fully in the public sphere, while others argued that it is acceptable for women to participate in the public sphere, but that not all women necessarily want an active role in the public sphere. Ultimately the main conclusion arrived at was that choice should be paramount and that women should be given the choice to be active outside the home if they wish, but should not be forced to if they do not want to.
Dr. Moeslim Abdurrahman emphasised in his talk that the role of pesantren and ustadz/ah was central in promoting tolerance and progressive understandings of Islam, as the pesantren system continues to have an important and unique place in Indonesian education. However in order to take up this role, pesantren must come to terms with the globalisation process and its effect on the pesantren system. Pesantren have to open themselves up and be more able to provide an education which will equip their students to deal with the modern world. If they are unable to then this could result in increasing conservatism within pesantren and the possibility of outsiders steering some students towards violent acts becomes more likely. He in fact hopes that pesantren will be able to consolidate themselves as a real social and political power in Indonesia, and possibly even form an umbrella organisation between them so that they are more able to effectively voice issues of concern to pesantren.
At the end of the training, participants posted their hopes for the future, and among these were a desire to individually tell their peers and family about the training and the concepts discussed in it, at the pesantren level explain to their students the issues covered, and at a regional level work together with mass organisations, parties and NGOs in order to promote tolerance between different groups. It was also decided that for future networking between alumni of the training, three central contact persons would be chosen to connect alumni in different regions.
