Indonesianists in Indonesia

After the ceremony of the Anugerah Budaya in Senayan, 9-10 October, Paule and I visited our old friends in Ciputat (like we most of them retired, some very weak and sick) and took a wonderful train to Yogyakarta. Much space in the luxury section of the train. Landscape was somewhat dry. We seem to be in the longest dry period since memoryever: 176 days without rain in Yogyakarta, which is similar to nearly six months. But still we could see all phases of rice cultivation: from ploughing to planting and growing till harvesting.

 In Yogyakarta we stayed in Hotel Novotel, nicely located for the big universities. The first day we started already with a seminar for 'Indonesianists', organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In order to enhance the international ranking of Indonesian education they invited students from abroad to study for several years in Indonesia. We talked to 4 female students who studied Indonesian at Universitas Wahid Hasyim in Semarang, but also seveal from Jemen who were busy with Civil Engineering. Some from Tanzania, Nepal, quite many from Malaysia: as if the great Soekarno-dream of solidarity of Asia-Africa had come to reality! They were happy with their scholarships and also with the invitation to gather in Yogyakarta at UGM for this meeting.
They received talks from much older people who had been trained more in a true Indonesianist style. Azyumardi Azra was here to talk about moderate Islam. He did not look healthy, needed a wheel chair in the airport, because he could not walk the great distances. He stressed that Indonesia has a culture of accomodation (bisa diatur) and does not like too strict and dogmatic religious rules. 'Life is more relaxed than in other Muslim majority countries.' A little bit propaganda for moderate Indonesia!
Very moving was the talk by Dr. Siti Ruhaini Dzuhayatin, a former student of mine at the Yogyakarta IAIN and now advisor to the President for (inter-)religious affairs. She saw the last few years a strong movement towards stricter Islamisation and separation of the religious groups. Something like the communalism of India. There is much attention for busana Muslim. In December 2016 (during the protests against Ahok) FPI entered also her kampung in Yogyakarta. There was much propagation for hard and separatist viewpoint through Whatsapp for hidup Islami. How nice it is when all people go to the same mosque, when everybody is nicely dressed and live according to shariah. (Elga Sarapung told that she saw a 'Pompa Bensin Syar'i' and thought whether fuel for cars should be halal as well). Siti Ruhaini also told that the WA group held a debate about the rule that men should not shake hands of women at the celebration of the end of Ramadan! She was very angry about this development.
Philip Buckley from McGill was here as well, making a detour from a China trip. Max Lane gave an impressive talk promoting the writings of Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Dr. Reevany Bustami from Malaysia gave a talk about the spirit of Nusantara, trying to combine Indonesian and Malaysian identity. I talked about 'Magic Realism or when pujangga write history', combining the spiritual world and fantasy of the writers of babad with Ayu Utami (the paper will be put n Academia.edu).
A very interesting lady talked about ACMI: Aku Cinta Makanan Indonesia.

 The students were entertained with grand performances of gamelan music and dances. At the opening evening with a mixed group of Indonesian and foreign players. The  second eveningwas for Wayang Wong, Ramayana story of Hanuman discovering the place where Sinta was taken as prisoner by Ravana. Fantastic!  Thank you Deplu for this.
Talking about pluralism: in our hotel Novotel in Yogyakarta the bartender was dressed in Bavarian style, supporting the Oktoberfest, and its beer. Expensive here as well!

Too much religion in Indonesia?

Some 25 years ago Romo Mangunwijaya already stated that for Pancasila he found the democratic and social pillars more important than the  religious one on the almighty one Lordship. And he judged that there was 'too much religion in Indonesia'. In the latest issue of Basis  (no 9-10, 2019, p. 3) there is an angry statement in the usual introductory essay 'signs of our time' (tanda tanda zaman). The Jesuit Benedictus Hari Juliawan regrets 'that the obsession with religion recently has shown the tendency to reduce the forming of a character to the memorization sacred scripture. Often the starting point is that religion brings us the infallible law of God. Therefore anything written in the holy book cannot be questioned by anybody, including science.' (Major theme of the issue is on the value of science).

This same week I received from Elga Sarapung the PDF copy of the 'testament' of the leaving minister of religion Lukman Hakim Saifuddin. It is a book with the title Moderasi Keagamaan. There is something wrong with religion in the country where I am still staying (this week for three seminars in Yogyakarta!) Religion must be moderate! Not dominant, not extreme! The book does not say that we should moderate religion, like we must moderate food, or work. But still, there seems to be too much religion. A virtue is the good thing in the middle of two bad qualities: not only in the philosophy of Aristotle, also in Muslim and Christian reworking of his ethics. So, between ultra-conservative and extreme liberal, the moderate is the right middle way. In fact, however, Saifuddin is afraid of violence, verbal and physical. And he is afraid of intolerance, of exclusivism, of people who want to live in a strict homogeneous society, with all people thinking in the same way. This is all put in the idea of Moderasi. It takes some time to understand all dimensions of this word that has become quite popular also as wasatiya, the 'middle way',  as earlier this year pleaded by the NU in Nijmegen (se the blog of 21 june 2019).

In a book of some 160 pages many aspects are described, but I missed a clear and open reference to what has been described in the book of 2009 (Ilusi Negara Islam) as the 'infiltration of Salafi Islam from Arab countries'. What Madinier and Van Bruinessen describe as the 'end of innocence' and 'the conservative turn' is here indicated more vaguely. It is written by someone from the bureaucracy.
An Indonesian Minister of Religion cannot only speak about Islam (although most of the book is about Islam), he also must not be too clear about his enemies. The nicest sections are with the concrete stories. Like the man who bought a house in a village in Bantul, but was rejected first as a newcomer because he was Christian and by written decision of the village chief the village should be 100% Muslim. One reason for ths was that some 30 elders in the village did not like to see a dead non-Muslim among deceased Muslims on the common and public graveyard. The bupati of Bantul interfered and the new family is now living happily in the village. (71-3)
The book is a celebration of pluriformity: God has created everything in pairs (55). It gives concrete stories of what happens in the country and what kind of measures are taken by the ministry to promoty religious harmony. I wonder whether the small groups of hardliners will be convinced by this nice work, but promotors will be strengthened in their conviction and receive support.
There is also a book by Quraysh Shihab on this theme. I must buy that here as well.

Anugrah Kebudayaan: Indonesian Cultural Award

Since about 1970 the Minister of Education and Culture of Indonesia holds a ceremony of Anugrah Kebudayaan. Some 50-60 artists and scholars in the field of Indonesian culture, are decorated for their contribution. Since 2015 every year about four foreigners are also given these awards. Receivers vary from historians like Merle Ricklefs, Anthony Reid, and Anthony Johns to the San Egidio community for its inter-religious work.
For the 2019 edition of this award I was selected and on 10 October I received the prize and the decoration. In the argumentation of the committee this was motivated as follows (in my translation of the Indonesian text): "The Professor Emeritus of Intercultural Theology at Utrecht University has given a contribution to the intellectual development of the lecturers in the study of Islam. Has also given much attention to the interreligious relations and dialogue. Besides this has has written several important books on the history  of Indonesian Islam. Born in 1942, he has become a pioneer in the development of the Institutes of Islamic Education, especially the IAIN [State Academy of Islamic Studies] in Jakarta and Yogyakarta. He has been teaching at both places and opened possibilities for Indonesian students to continue their studies at a higher level in foreign countries. He was very helpful in the enhancement of the quality of the lecturers through the programme of cooperation with  Leiden University in the Netherlands, which resulted in a good number of Ph.D dissertations in the field of Islamology."
Besides my nomination there were three more 'foreigners' in Jakarta. Most remarkable was a Shaykh from Al-Azhar, Mahmoud Hamdi Zakzouk, decorated for his helpful assistance to Indonesian students in Cairo. In this way both the traditional Islamic and the modern orientalist centres were praised. This also shows the independent position of Indonesian Muslims. Roesman Darmohoetomo was decorated because he created a network of teachers of modern Indonesian and Javanese in his homeland of Suriname. Akiko Kamaguchi from Japan received the award for her work for the conservation and documentation of traditional West-Javanese music. Besides, there was a great variety of artists: from a traditional stry-teller of Papua to a copuist of classical Balinese texts on lontar sheets. There was a player of wayang, bsides a singer of kroncong music, besides a pantomime-player. A full list can be  by searching on the Dikbud Website under Anugrah Kebudayaan.

For the ceremony of the decorations we were on 10 October in the large badminton hall of Senayan: Istana Olahraga Bung Karno, where 8000 people can be seated. It was a ceremony with many art performances in a spectacular and festive style. I could not make good pictures and only include below one of the opening, taken with my mobile phone. I am still waiting for better pictures from the organizing ministry.

The initiative for the cooperation between Leiden University and the IAIN was of course not only my work. Instead, it was the original idea of Dr. Mukti Ali, minister of religions of Indonesia between 1970 and 1978. He contacted the Dutch Embassy of Jakarta and asked for this connection, supported by Dr. Harun Nasution, rector of the Jakarta IAIN. In the Netherlands quite many followed later in this programme. I mention here of course Martien van Bruinessen, who came as a KITLV researcher but in the early 1990s also was a  professor in Yogyakarta and supervior of many doctoral dissertations. Others were the late Johan Meuleman, Herman Beck and for a long time also Nico Kaptein.

Ahok, Farid Esack and wali/awliya

Basuki Tjahaja or Ahok has already been relieved from prison after two years. But new cases asnd debates about blasphemy, respect for religious ideas, continue. Therefore it is good to reconsider also the Ahok-case once again.
In the verse of 5.51 there are several problems of interpretation. First the word of wali/awliya. The Plural word awliya was translated by MUI as 'pemimpin'.  Indeed, in Indonesian wali negara can be a leader of a country. H.B. Jassin gives two words pelindung dan sahabat. Farid Esack has a long chapter on the problem and he translates it as'collaborator'.  (Qur'an, Liberation and Pluralism, Oxford, One World, 1997: 180-206).
The circumstances of his writings are as follows: in the period of Apartheid, Esack joined a moved of the Protestant minister Beyers Naudée against Apartheid, while at the same time the famous preacher Ahmad Deedat, was together with some black people a supporter of the privileges given to some Black and coloured (= Indian offspring) people. Al-Maidah 5.51 was so used by Deedat against Esack. Deedat only wanted to fight Christians, Esack wants to fight injustice.

Farid Esack mentions a number of verses where the Qur'an takjs about 'taking people as wali'. Only in 5.51 it is about Jews and Christians. Other verses talk about seeking support with believers, men and women of faith (5.56; 9:70). Of not seeking support from the unbelievers (3.28; 4.139; 4.144). For Esack the basic problem at the time was justice, fighting against Apartheid and for democracy. In this case some of the white Christians are injuste, because the want apartheid. But other Christians are fighting against corruption, against racism and the faithful Muslims must join them, because they are seeking the right way as commanded by God.
Mangunwijaya already said in 1995 that there is perhaps "too much religion in Indonesia".  Not religious denomination should be dcisive, but values like anti-racism, pro-democracy, free from corruption and inefficiency. In social and political life that really determines good faith, irrespective whether it is within Christianity or Islam, because in both religions also many evil people can be found! There Esack pleads for a contextual reading of this command of the Qur'an.

Mystic Islam or Islam light? Merle Ricklefs on his Sout Catcher, Mangkunegara I

After starting his academic career with a portrait of the first Sultan of Yogyakarta, Merle Ricklefs wrote many books, some more general ones like the classic History of Modern Indonesia since c. 1300, a serie of three books covering Islamic developments from 1830 until the modern age and a series on the courts of Surakarta. This is now again enriched with a book on the counterpart of Sultan Mangkubumi I of Yogyakarta: Prince Mangkunegara I of Surakarta.
It is a rich book covering the history of Central Java since the turbulent period beginning with the killing of some 10.000 Chinese in Batavia in 1740 by the Dutch (a 'preemptive strike!), followed by a flight of the 5.000 Chinese who fled the colonial capital to Central Java. This created a civil war in Central Java, 1743-1757.
Ricklefs gives a general picture of the period, the development of the major players in the field: the two mentioned above and the Ruler Sunan Pakubuwana II until PB IV.

Many aspects are highlighted: Dutch colonial policy and its officials, the rulers and their families. The book looks like a huge portrait of a society divided in opposing groups. The persons are described in vivid colours. The sources are from VOC archives (mostly from Indonesia) and from the various courts. It is sometimes a real entertainment to read their concise and clear poetry of the Javanese documents.
On pages 273ff Ricklefs gives a nice summary of his favourite concept of the Mystic Synthesis. It is a somewhat truncated or at least basic style of Islam (the five pillars of confession of faith, regular prayers, fast of Ramadan; paying the zakat sometimes, hajj only for few people), with a strong feeling of a Muslim identity. Besides that there is a firm belief in local spirits, attachment to the stories of Wayang performances. Only the more pious people abstained from alcoholic drinks, use of opium and gambling. Pages 295-299 describe a movement, a circle of strongly Islamic officials in the court of the Susuhunan, from 1788 until November 1790. One Santri became nominated a bupati by the young PB IV and officials who were wearing European clothes were sent away from the court. There was no more alcoholic drinks, more pious gatherings, Qur'an readings, until several thousand troops led by Mangkubumi and Mangkunegara together surrounded the palace and five leading figures were sent into exile to Sri Lanka. Ricklefs regrets that only the opponents have written this story for us and we do not have the voice of the other part. The Mystic Synthesis had his own weapons and was under strict control as well!
Was this official Islam some kind of Islam Light? I checked some sources for the now well known formula about Aceh, where the shari'a must be taken seriously, pelaksanaan syaria secara kaffah.. This is taken from Qur'an 2:208. However, most translations do not give the meaning of 'complete' as to the content, but rather 'all people together'. The verse is in the translation of Arberry: O believers, enter the peace [silm] all of you [kaffatan] and follow not the steps of Satan.
There is a story about a Jewish tribe who did not like to accept Islam/silm because they wanted to keep the quiet day of Sabbath and the taboo of eating camel meat. Anyway, there are diverse opinions also about Islam light, corrupt or truncated versus full!

A clash of cultures in Indonesian Islam? Nico Kaptein as a new professor in Leiden

Nico Kaptein is already since more than 30 years busy with Indonesian Islam after his dissertation on the origins of the celebration of maulid, birth of Muhammad. Only recently he was nominated a full professor of Southeast Asian Islam in Leiden. 19 September 2019, he gave his inaugural lecture on the Arabs and their influence on Indonesian Islam. Mecca is the liturgical centre of Islam: the focus of the drection of people praying and once a year the city of the hajj, the great pilgrimage. Since the 17th century it was also a centre for Islamic learning for Indonesians. Sultans sent delegations to the holy city to seek the official title of sulten, or answer to difficult questions. After 1925 (when the Wahhabi King again could establish his capital in Riyad) modernists went to Cairo for studies, but Arabia is still attractive.

 However, after 1980 LIPIA, the Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Islam dan Arab, an institute of study of Islam and Arab, started its spread of Wahhabism (now often called Salafism) in Indonesia. And since then Nahdlatul Ulama and in some sense also Muhammadiyah leaders feel threatened in their position. They even started a counter-attack, stressing that Indonesian Islam is different from Arab culture and even religious interpretation. Kaptein referred to Hasbi Ash-Shiddieqy (who wanted a Mazhab Indonesia) and Abdurrahman Wahid and his ideas of pribumisasi, to support indigenisation of Islam and to prevent further 'infiltration' of Arab Salafism in Indonesia. Arab words like assalam 'alaikum, salat should be avoided and Selamat pagi, sembahyang should be used.
I heard even the term of 'fragmentation of religious authority'. There was little about the longtime differences between Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, that never caused real conflicts, fighting or obstruction in Indonesia.

Among the 30 professors there were three ladies: 10%, showing that Dutch universities are not really pushing feminist ideas! It was a good opportunity to see old friends. Above Herman Beck from Tilburg.

Penistaan: the debate about the vulnerability of religion

In 2016-7 there was a malicious reli-political action against the candidate for governorship of Jakarta, Ahok. He had quoted a text from the Qur'an, given his own interpretation and then he was accused of penistaan or deprecation/vilification of religion. He was sentenced to two years in prison.
About six months ago there was another case in Tanjung Balai a majority ethnic-Chinese town close to Medan. A Chinese lady, Meiliana, living close to a mosque, complained about the very noisy loudspeaker of a mosque nearby. It was mentioned to the police, she was arrested and 19 August 2019 she was sentenced to stay for 1.5 year in prison, for penistaan/penodaan.

Soon after this strange verdict by a local judge, there came another case of accusation of vilification of religion. A preacher from Pekan Baru, the oil capital of Central Sumatra, one Ustaz Abdul Somad, had given a sermon in a mosque which was recorded and available on the internet. He had said: salib itu dalamnya ada Iblis dan ada jin kafir ('in the cross the devil is present and unbelief; evil spirits are found in the cross). Some Batak Christians went to a court to ask for a case against  this UAS (famous people with long names like to use acronyms since Hamka, SBY and others). UAS, born in 1977, studied for some time at Al-Azhar in Egypt and also took an MA degree in Rabat, Morocco. He is at this moment a lecturer at the UIN, Islamic University Syarif Kasim of Pekan Baru.

The MUI, Majelis Ulama Indonesia, Indonesian Council of Muslim Clerics, called for mitigation in this case: it should be handled outside the legal institutions, through dialogue and mutual understanding. This is understandable, but it should have been more convincing if MUI had shown or preached mitigation as well in the Ahok and Meilana cases. Recent history of Pakistan has shown that vilification processes can bring total disorder to a country. And the present Muhammadiyah leader also rightly stated that the Ahok affair only has brought public and social damage to the country. Religion is strong enough and should not be defended as if it is a weak institution.
Benny Susetyo and Gomar Gulton, from the Catholic and Protestantchurches reacted that if this preacher will not ask forgiveness for his words,  he  anyway will be forgiven by them.