Ex-president of Indonesia speaks at CSP press conf

Press release                                       No. 06-P 15                      2006-06-27

(Washington, D.C.): On June 26, the Center for Security Policy hosted a teleconference with former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid in conjunction with the LibForAll Foundation, a US-Indonesian non-profit organization dedicated to fighting religious extremism. The event, which took place at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. , was part of the Center’s Muslims Speak Out program, a project designed to provide a forum for moderate Muslims willing to challenge Islamist extremists and the ideology of hatred they promote.

In his remarks and in answers to numerous questions posed by the journalists present, president Wahid, speaking from Jakarta , stated emphatically that:

“Muslim and non-Muslim alike cannot afford to continue ‘business as usual’ in the face of the enormous threat posed by religious extremists, terror and the continued proliferation of nuclear weapons in some of the most volatile parts of the world,” and called for a “global campaign to marginalize religious extremism and discredit the use of terror worldwide.”

Addressing the nature of the terrorist threat, President Wahid acknowledged that “religious fanatics have tried to pervert Islam into a dogma of hatred, intolerance and bloodshed” and urged Muslim leaders around the world to “promote a pluralistic and tolerant understanding of Islam, at peace with itself and the modern world.”

The full text of president Wahid’s prepared remarks are below. For additional details on the Muslims Speak Out program please contact the Center for Security Policy.

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A Crisis of Misunderstanding
By Kyai Haji Abdurrahman Wahid

Washington , D.C ( June 26, 2006 ) — The world today faces a ‘crisis of misunderstanding’ that threatens all of humanity, Muslim and non-Muslim alike. We cannot afford to continue “business as usual” in the face of the enormous threat posed by religious extremism, terror and the continued proliferation of nuclear weapons in some of the most volatile parts of the world.

Rather, we must set aside our international and partisan differences, and join in a global campaign to marginalize religious extremism and discredit the use of terror worldwide.

All too many Muslims fail to understand Islam, which teaches one to be kind and lenient towards others and to recognize their value systems, by adopting an attitude of tolerance that Islam itself mandates. The essence of Islam is encapsulated in the words of the Koran, “For you, your religion; for me, my religion.” That is the essence of tolerance.

Religious fanatics – either purposely, or out of ignorance – have tried to pervert Islam into a dogma of hatred, intolerance and bloodshed. They justify their brutality with slogans such as “Islam is the solution” or “Islam is above everything else.” They seek to intimidate and subdue all who reject their extremist views, regardless of nationality or religion. While a few may be quick to shed blood themselves, countless others sympathize with their violent actions, or join in the complicity of silence.

This crisis of misunderstanding-of Islam by Muslims themselves-is compounded by the failure of non-Muslims to understand Islam, which prevents them from accurately identifying and cooperating with the majority of well-intentioned Muslims to resist, isolate and discredit extremist ideology.

The crisis thus afflicts Muslims and non-Muslims alike, with tragic consequences. Failure to understand the true nature of Islam permits the continued radicalization of Muslims worldwide, while blinding the rest of humanity to a solution which hides in plain sight.

The most effective way to overcome Islamist extremism is to explain what Islam truly is – tolerant, pluralistic and profoundly concerned about the welfare of all humanity – to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Without that explanation, people will tend to accept the unrefuted extremist view – further radicalizing Muslims, and turning the rest of the world against Islam itself.

Accomplishing this “task of explanation” will require a sustained, global effort in every major field of life, including religion, education, popular culture, government and business. In particular, it will require the mobilization of Muslim leaders throughout the world to promote a pluralistic and tolerant understanding of Islam, at peace with itself and the modern world.

It is a well-known fact among Muslim religious leaders that the majority of Islamist radicals have little or no theological background or training. Their stock in trade is not profound theological reasoning, but rather, a crude and simplistic interpretation of religion, backed by intimidation and violence.

In effect, Islamic fundamentalism is a reaction to the process of globalization, and the perceived threat this poses to the continuation of Islamic belief and traditions.

Attempts to secularize or Westernize the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims will not solve this ideological conflict. In many ways, such attempts merely play into the hands of fundamentalists, who are skilled at cloaking their political agenda in the mantle of religious authenticity and Arab prestige.

To succeed in discrediting religious extremism and terror within the Muslim world, it is thus insufficient to focus merely on strengthening civil society or democracy, while ignoring Islam, as is evident from the triumph of Hamas in recent Palestinian elections, or the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt . Rather, it is necessary to promote a spiritual regeneration within Islam itself, as alien as this may sound to those with Western or secular sensibilities.

Contrary to the radicals’ dogmatic assertions, Islam does indeed possess a venerable tradition of justice and spirituality that is consistent with current Western ideals of human rights and religious freedom. In the words of the Qur’an: “Let there be no compulsion in religion,” (2:256). That, too, is the essence of tolerance, and the essence of Islam itself.

I encourage Muslim leaders throughout the world to reclaim authentic Islam from those who seek to transform it into an instrument of repressive political ideology, and who manipulate its teachings to promote religious extremism and violence.

I also call upon my fellow Muslim leaders to reject and condemn the ideology of hatred, and to provide our followers with a profound and thorough understanding of Islam as a religion of peace and tolerance.

Our ultimate goal must be not only to stem the tide of Islamist extremism, but to break its back and destroy the ideology’s viability and appeal in the Muslim world. Accomplishment of this task does not require military force, but rather, the assembly of a global coalition of Muslim opinion-leaders who can marginalize and ultimately discredit the ideology of hatred that underlies and animates terrorism. For in this global conflict, the decisive “battlefield” lies not on some remote desert plateau, but rather on the emotional, intellectual and spiritual planes that constitute Muslims’ view of their own religion.

Our goal must be to illuminate the hearts and minds of humanity, and share a compelling, alternate vision of Islam as a religion of divine love and tolerance, that banishes the fanatical ideology of hatred to the darkness from which it emerged.