Djohan Effendi (October 1, 1939 – November 17, 2017) was the Secretary of State of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, under

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Abdurrahman Wahid from 2000 to 2001. He was an

Ahmadi Ahmadiyya (, ), officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ, ar, الجماعة الإسلامية الأحمدية, al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmīyah al-Aḥmadīyah; ur, , translit=Jamā'at Aḥmadiyyah Musl ...

and belonged to the

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

branch and was an ardent advocate for the Ahmadiyya movement. He was known for having been a prominent liberal thinker of Islam in Indonesia, more specifically based in

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...

and a part of the Jogja-based liberal Islamic intellectual group known as the Limited Group led by Mukti Ali.Kersten, Carool. Islam in Indonesia the Contest for Society, Ideas and Values. (2015) C. Hurst & Co. He also served as chair of the International Centre for Religious Pluralism and voiced criticism toward the issuance of the

fatwa A fatwā ( ; ar, فتوى; plural ''fatāwā'' ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (''sharia'') given by a qualified '' Faqih'' (Islamic jurist) in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist i ...

Majelis Ulama Indonesia Indonesian Ulema Council ( id, Majelis Ulama Indonesia, ar, مجلس العلماء الإندونيسي, abbreviated MUI) is Indonesia's top Islamic scholars body. MUI was founded in Jakarta on July 26, 1975 during the New Order era. The council ...

targeting religious pluralism in 2005. Effendi was considered to be a senior figure amongst Indonesian liberal Islamic activists, and was characterized by Budhy Munawar Rachman as a progressive Islamic scholar and as 'militant fighter for tolerance'.Munawar-Rahman, Budhy. ''Pesan-Pesan Al-Qur'an:Mencoba Megerti Intisari Kitab Suci''. (2012) Jakarta:National Liberay, pp.1-17 His name is included in the book ''50 Tokoh Liberal di Indonesia (50 Liberal Figures in Indonesia)'' among the pioneers of the Indonesian liberal movement together with

Nurcholish Madjid Nurcholish Madjid (March 17, 1939 – August 29, 2005), in Indonesia affectionately known as Cak Nur, was a prominent Indonesian Muslim intellectual. Early in his academic career, Nurcholish was a leader in various student organizations. He soon b ...

and Abdurrahman Wahid.

Career

Previously Effendi was the Special Staff of the Secretary of State, as well as the author of President

Soeharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...

's speech. He had written hundreds of speeches for President Soeharto, during his rule from 1978 to 1995. His career as a speechwriter of the President was terminated when he "recklessly" accompanied Abdurrahman Wahid's controversial visit to

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

in 1994. The visit was strongly opposed by some

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...

groups, and then state secretary Moerdiono also expressed his regret regarding the visit.

Views

In Djohan's opinion, Ahmadis held the same right to practice their beliefs in Indonesia, and Indonesia under the Pancasila doctrine needs to ensure the complete religious pluralism, which he considers substantiated by the

Medina Charter The Constitution of Medina (, ''Dustūr al-Madīna''), also known as the Charter of Medina ( ar, صحيفة المدينة, ''Ṣaḥīfat al-Madīnah''; or: , ''Mīthāq al-Madina'' "Covenant of Medina"), is the modern name given to a document be ...

established by the

Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam ( ar, الأنبياء في الإسلام, translit=al-ʾAnbiyāʾ fī al-ʾIslām) are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God in Islam, God's message on Earth and to serve as models of ideal human behaviour. So ...

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

,Assyaukanie, Luthfi. ''Islam and the Secular State in Indonesia''. (2009) ISEAS. and the Qur'anic notion of ''kalimatun sawa′'', meaning 'common word'. He also believed in the importance of the preservation of religion, grounded by the principles of '' maqasid al-shari'a'' advocated by

al-Shatibi Al-Shatibi is an Arabic name indicating an origin in Xàtiva (Spain). It may refer to: *Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi (1320–1388), Andalusian scholar of Maliki (Islamic jurisprudence) *Abu al-Qasim al-Shatibi Abū al-Qāsim ibn Firruh ibn Khalaf ibn A ...

, and that relativism or syncretism need to be accommodated. In his understanding of religion, Djohan came to the conclusion that "in every religion, there is a truth that can be taken away". Therefore, he was deeply respectful of all forms of faithfulness in the name of religion.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Effendi, Djohan 1939 births 2017 deaths 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Indonesian Ahmadis National Awakening Party politicians People from South Kalimantan