Sixty-four percent of Indonesian Muslims believe Sharia law should be enforced as national law. We asked respondents what they thought of these results.
Muslim respondents:
Amin Abdallah: Sharia is a way of life; it is the way people live, guided by religious values. In Islam, it is not monolithic but consists of various interpretations.
Sharia law in a religious state will undoubtedly be different from Sharia law in a nation-state. For example, Sharia law in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran will be different, particularly with regard to civil and criminal law, from Sharia law in Indonesia. Sharia law in our country is consistent with its culture and history.
In the private realm, religious matters such as rituals, prayers, almsgiving and pilgrimage can be fully practiced. But in the context of Indonesia as a nation-state, Sharia law cannot be fully implemented at the national level. When it comes to public or national matters, certain procedures must be followed because Indonesia has a democratic state system that must be respected by all citizens.
What is encouraging is that when the state was created, Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists were seated at the same table. At this time, Muslims accepted Pancasila, making Indonesia a nation-state rather than a religious state. In Pancasila there is no religious selfishness; rather, there is religious freedom.
Halim Mahfudz: In the rural area where I live, among Muslim communities and more tolerant groups, Muslims are not interested in implementing Sharia law as the basis for national law. Indeed, in Indonesia we have a long shared history of fighting for independence against colonial powers since the arrival of the Dutch in the 1500s.
In the formulation of Pancasila and the 1945 constitution, there was debate over whether or not to remove the “seven words” in the Constitution. Jakarta Charter this would have required Muslims to respect Sharia law. These words were removed immediately after independence.
This indicates that, from the beginning, we never aimed to make Indonesia a theocracy. Islamic values are present in the constitution, reinforced by the Pancasila ideology, particularly the first principle of belief in one and all-powerful God. All the principles of Pancasila are rooted in religious and divine values, and these are the values of Islam.
Inayah Rohmaniyah: Pew survey appears to link Sharia law to hudud (restrictions) and qanun (laws made by Muslim rulers). This involves the formalization of hududsuggesting that Islam should be the law that governs all of society.
Problems arise when survey questions generalize the term Sharia himself. In the Muslim community, Sharia law is essentially synonymous with Islam. If you ask whether a Muslim should be governed by Sharia law, the answer is usually yes, because Sharia law represents Islamic law that should be followed by all Muslims.
It is important to note that Sharia law only applies to Muslims; people of other religions are not required to follow Islamic Sharia law. Therefore, Indonesian Muslims must maintain internal and external balance, represented by Pancasila. Pancasila is Islamic Sharia law contextualized in Indonesia.
Christian respondents:
Tantono Subagyo: The definition of Sharia law itself varies among Muslims. Some want strict implementation of Sharia law, while others prefer a more flexible application that adapts to changing times. Two factors explain why some Indonesian Muslims believe that Sharia law should be used as national law: the low level of political culture and the tendency of Indonesian politicians to use religion as a tool to seek power.
In Indonesia, radical Islamic parties often use religion (for example, urging Muslims to vote only for Muslim candidates) to gain votes. An example is the 2017 Jakarta governorship. election, which was riddled with identity politics and threats against those who did not vote for a certain candidate. Christians must be careful, because if the Indonesian public is uneducated and misled by power-seeking individuals, chaos can ensue.
Ferry Mamahit: As a Christian who interacts with various communities in Indonesia, I am not too concerned by this finding. First, the Indonesian government is responsible for upholding and implementing national laws based on Pancasila and the 1945 constitution, which protect our religious freedoms.
Second, major Islamic organizations such as NU, Muhammadiyah and others agree that Pancasila and the 1945 constitution constitute the legal foundation that unites the Indonesian nation. They are committed to preventing Islamic Sharia law from becoming the basis of the state. As members of civil society, they work to raise awareness and counter groups that seek to change the foundations of the state, viewing it as undemocratic and deviating from the principles of Islam as a religion of rahmatan p’tit-alamine (mercy to all).
Third, I believe that Christians should support the commitment of the government (Rom. 13:1-4) and moderate Muslims (Mark 9:40) to building a democratic society that prioritizes religious and humanitarian values for a future best for Indonesia.
Farsijana Adeney Risakotta: Sharia law helps Muslims become integrated individuals by worshiping in accordance with the five pillars of Islam and implementing Islamic principles in economic activities. I support Indonesian Muslims who sincerely apply Sharia law in their daily lives.
Recently, I attended a leadership training led by a practitioner from an Islamic credit union. When I heard his explanation of why he believes cooperatives are appropriate for building justice and distributing prosperity to the entire nation, I was reminded of my own motivation to work with the poor to implement social justice.
His words reminded me to delve deeper into the teachings of Christ that enable me to continue working alongside my Muslim brothers and sisters to build our nation.
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