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In July 2005,
Indonesian Ulema Council Indonesian Ulema Council (, , abbreviated MUI) is Indonesia's top Islamic scholars' body. MUI was founded in Jakarta on 26 July 1975 during the New Order era. The council comprises many Indonesian Muslim groups including Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), ...
(MUI), a semi-official
Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
clerical body of
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, issued a
fatwa A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist ('' faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...
, or an Islamic legal opinion, against
religious pluralism Religious pluralism is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religion, religious belief systems co-existing in society. It can indicate one or more of the following: * Recognizing and Religious tolerance, tolerating the religio ...
,
liberalism Liberalism is a Political philosophy, political and moral philosophy based on the Individual rights, rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, the right to private property, and equality before the law. ...
, and
secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...
.Nur Ichwan 2013, p. 61. The issuance of fatwa garnered substantial controversy and scholarly attention. The fatwa addressed the reformist trend of Islam which had been popular among the broad Indonesian society over the past 25 years. Such trends advocated for a more substantive reading of the
Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
and
Hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...
, instead of literalist approaches taken by the majority of
ulama In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...
s (Islamic clerics). MUI considered such ideas as incompatible with Islamic teaching, releasing the fatwa to promote a more literal reading of the Islamic scriptures. The fatwa was heavily criticized by progressive Muslim intellectuals.


Background

Indonesian Ulema Council Indonesian Ulema Council (, , abbreviated MUI) is Indonesia's top Islamic scholars' body. MUI was founded in Jakarta on 26 July 1975 during the New Order era. The council comprises many Indonesian Muslim groups including Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), ...
(MUI) was established in 1975 by the
Suharto Suharto (8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician, and dictator, who was the second and longest serving president of Indonesia, serving from 1967 to 1998. His 32 years rule, cha ...
regime, aimed at monopolization of the Islamic orthodoxy in Indonesia at the direction of the government. After the fall of Suharto in 1998 and the beginning of '' reformasi'' era, MUI was pressed to reformulate its role within the society. Initially, MUI aligned with
B. J. Habibie Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie (; 25 June 1936 – 11 September 2019) was an Indonesian politician, engineer and scientist who served as the third president of Indonesia from 1998 to 1999. Less than three months after his inauguration as the seventh ...
who was deemed to be more friendly toward the political demand of puritanical Muslims. Habibie withdrew from the 1999 election, and
Abdurrahman Wahid Abdurrahman Wahid ( ; né ad-Dakhil, 7 September 1940 – 30 December 2009), more colloquially known as Gus Dur (), was an Indonesian politician and Islam in Indonesia, Islamic Kyai, religious leader who served as the fourth president of Indone ...
, a progressive figure, was elected as president from 1991 to 2001. Through the course, MUI lost its pipe with the government, prompted them to be an independent organization.Nur Ichwan 2013, pp. 65-68. They sought to establish its position as a religious authority representing the Muslim society. Suharto, during his rule, heavily suppressed the political Islamic movements and forced them to align with the state ideology of Pancasila. During this time, liberal and progressive interpretations of Islam gained societal traction. This includes neo-modernism, a derivation of reformist
Islamic modernism Islamic modernism is a movement that has been described as "the first Muslim ideological response to the Western cultural challenge", attempting to reconcile the Islamic faith with values perceived as modern such as democracy, civil rights, rati ...
which inclined toward more substantive reading of the Islamic scripture.Barton, 1997.Gillespie 2007, pp. 236-239. The substantive reading was justified as accommodating the societal reality of Indonesia as a religiously plural and secular state. Abdurrahman Wahid, then chairman of
Nahdlatul Ulama Nahdlatul Ulama (, , NU) is an Islamic organization in Indonesia. Its membership numbered over 40 million in 2023, making it the largest Islamic organization in the world. NU is also a charitable body funding schools and hospitals as well as or ...
, was among the proponents of such ideas. The ideas were controversial especially among the ulamas, and puritanical organizations such as Indonesian Islamic Dawah Council (DDII) had been consistently criticizing them.Nur Ichwan 2013, pp. 80-83. After the collapse of Suharto regime, the substantive interpretations of Islam were succeeded by Liberal Islam Network (JIL) founded in 2001 by Ulil Abshar Abdalla among others. JIL was highly controversial due to Ulil's critical and contextual approach toward ''
Sunnah is the body of traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time supposedly saw, followed, and passed on to the next generations. Diff ...
'' (traditions and customs). There was also an ascendance of Islamist movements after the democratic transition, formerly suppressed by the Suharto regime. Notable organizations include
Islamic Defenders Front The Islamic Defenders Front (; ) was an Indonesian hardline Islamist organization founded in 1998 by Muhammad Rizieq Shihab with backing from military and political figures. Since 2015, Ahmad Shabri Lubis has been the organization's leader, w ...
(FPI), Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), and Indonesian Mujahedeen Council (MMI). These organizations, in addition to DDII, were also staunch critics of the neo-modernist strand as well as JIL and Ulil. MUI, in order to bolster its position as a religious authority, issued eleven fatwas in 2005, incorporating the demands by the puritanical and Islamist bloc of the Muslim society. Among them was a fatwa against
Ahmadiyya Ahmadiyya, officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ), is an Islamic messianic movement originating in British India in the late 19th century. It was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908), who said he had been divinely appointed a ...
, a heretic and minority Islamic group, as well as the fatwa against religious pluralism, liberalism, secularlism, often collectively called ''SiPiLis''.Van Bruinessen 2013.


Content

Fatwas by MUI consist of three sections; 'consideration', 'reminder', and 'clarification'. 'Consideration' section of the fatwa addresses the background of the issuance. 'Reminder' section provides the Quranic and Hadith accounts to justify the fatwa. 'Clarification' section makes up the core of the fatwa, divided into public and legal certainty sections. 'Public certainty' section delineates definition of concepts brought up in the fatwa. 'Legal certainty' section gives rulings that advised to be prescribed.Gillespie 2007, pp. 218-223. Piers Gillespie of the
Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...
translates the 'consideration' section as follows:
(a) Recently there has been a growth of religious pluralism, liberalism and secularism which has been understood in a variety of ways in the community; (b) This growth of religious pluralism, liberalism and religious secularism within the society has created an uneasiness and a concern to the extent that part of the community has asked the MUI to give some clarification by means of a fatwa in relation to this problem; (c) Therefore, the MUI feel that it is necessary to formulate a fatwa about the understanding of pluralism, liberalism and religious secularism in order for it to provide guidance to the Islamic community.
He analyses that the (b) section facilitates the MUI's position as a representative of the Muslim society. Overall, the section sets the debate by considering reformist thoughts as problematic. On the 'reminder' section, several Quranic verses and Hadith accounts are cited. Among them,
Al Imran Al Imran (, ; The Family of Imran) is the List of chapters in the Quran, third chapter (sūrah) of the Quran with two hundred verses (''āyāt''). This chapter is named after the family of Imran (Joachim), which includes Joachim, Imran, Saint ...
verse 19 and 85 are cited to assure the existence of only one valid interpretation of Islam.
Al-An'am Al-An'am (, ; The Cattle) is the sixth chapter (sūrah) of the Quran, with 165 verses ( āyāt). Coming in order in the Quran after Al-Fatiha, Al-Baqarah, Al 'Imran, An-Nisa', and Al-Ma'idah, this surah dwells on such themes as the clear ...
verse 116 is cited to warn against the majority of people who believe in liberal interpretations of Islam.
Al-Kafirun Al-Kāfirūn (, "The Disbelievers") is the 109th chapter (sūrah) of the Quran. It has six '' ayat'' or verses as follows: : ۝ "Say, “O disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship. Nor are you worshippers of what I worship. Nor will I ...
verse 6 is also cited to clarify that the fatwa is not directed against other religious groups. There are overall eight Quranic verses as well as three Hadith records being used in the fatwa.Majelis Ulama Indonesia 2005. 'Clarification' section consists of public and legal certainty sections. 'Public certainty' section defines four concepts that are being used in the fatwa, namely religious pluralism, religious liberalism as well as religious secularism. Notably, the idea of religious pluralism and religious plurality are considered separate. Accordingly, the former is an ideology that relativizes all religions. The latter is a condition that different religions live side by side. Religious liberalism is an interpretation dictated by independent thinking. Religious secularism is an idea to demarcate religion into the private realm. Based on these definitions, on 'legal certainty' section, the fatwa declares religious pluralism, religious liberalism as well as religious secularism as contradictory with Islam. It also commands Muslims not to follow these thoughts. The fatwa states that regarding the issue of ''
aqeedah ''Aqidah'' (, , pl. , ) is an Islamic term of Arabic origin that means "creed". It is also called Islamic creed or Islamic theology. ''Aqidah'' goes beyond concise statements of faith and may not be part of an ordinary Muslim's religious ins ...
'' (creed) and ''
ibadah ''Ibadah'' (, ''‘ibādah'', also spelled ''ibada'') is an Arabic word meaning service or servitude. In Islam, ''ibadah'' is usually translated as “worship”, and ''ibadat''—the plural of ''ibadah''—refers to Islamic jurisprudence ( ...
'' (worshipping), Islam needs to be exclusive. Accordingly, on the issues not related to ''aqeedah'' or ''ibadah'', Muslims can interact with non-Muslims in a way to sustain the religious plurality.


Response

;Criticism The fatwa brought a fierce backlash by progressive Muslim intellectuals as well as traditionalist ulamas. Notable critics include Abdurrahman Wahid and Hasyim Wahid of Nahdlatul Ulama, Ulil Abshar Abdalla of JIL,
Azyumardi Azra Azyumardi Azra (4 March 1955 – 18 September 2022) was an Indonesian public intellectual, Muslim scholar and Rector of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta. He graduated from Department of History, Columbia University in 1992. ...
of the
Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta ( Indonesian: ''Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta,'' Dutch: ''Staat Islamitisch Universiteit van Sjarief Hidajatoellah'') is a public university in Indonesia, located in Cip ...
, Djohan Effendi of the International Centre for Religious Pluralism, M. Syafi'i Anwar of the International Center For Islam and Pluralism, as well as Dawam Rahardjo of the Institution of Religious and Philosophical Studies (LSAF). The board of Nahdlatul Ulama also immediately made a statement to defend both pluralism and secularism of the Indonesian state. The contentions are predominantly centered on the vague definition of pluralism, liberalism, and secularism set by MUI. From the religious perspective, critics questioned the methodology of ''
ijtihad ''Ijtihad'' ( ; ' , ) is an Islamic legal term referring to independent reasoning by an expert in Islamic law, or the thorough exertion of a jurist's mental faculty in finding a solution to a legal question. It is contrasted with '' taqlid'' ( ...
'' (independent reasoning) employed by MUI, and veracity of which categorizing all liberal Muslims who follow the Five Pillars of Islam as deviant. From the non-religious perspective, the fatwa was criticized as a violation of
religious freedom Freedom of religion or religious liberty, also known as freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice ...
as well as a breaching of
freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...
.Gillespie 2007, pp. 223-231. ;Defense
Din Syamsuddin Sirajuddin Muhammad "Din" Syamsuddin (, born in Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara, ), is an Indonesian politician and formerly the Chairman of Muhammadiyah for two terms from 2005 to 2010 and 2010 to 2015. His wife was named Fira Beranata, and has 3 ch ...
, former chairman of
Muhammadiyah Muhammadiyah (), officially Muhammadiyah Society () is a major Islamic non-governmental organization in Indonesia.A. Jalil HamidTackle the rising cost of living longer New Straits Times, 30 October 2016. Accessed 1 November 2016. The organization ...
who served the general secretary of MUI since 2000, as well as several authors including
Adian Husaini Dr. Adian Husaini (born December 17, 1965) is an Islamic scholar from Indonesia.Moch Nur Ichwan, ''Towards a Puritanical Moderate Islam: The Majelis Ulama Indonesia and the Politics of Religious Orthodoxy''. ISEAS Publishing. Retrieved 9-9-2017. ...
and Abdusshomad Buchori responded to critics by reiterating the definition as valid. Syamsuddin responded to Rahardjo, who was among the progressive wing of Muhammadiyah, by expelling him from the organization. Syamsuddin's role as MUI spokesperson received criticism from some Muhammadiyah members. ;Impact The fatwa prompted Islamic preachers to avoid usage of the term 'pluralism' during a conversation about interfaith relations. Anti-pluralism speech has been widely made since then, especially in
mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...
s as well as religious magazines with puritanical inclinations.
Martin van Bruinessen Martin van Bruinessen is a Dutch anthropologist and author, who has published a number of publications on the Kurdish, Indonesian, Turkish, Persian cultures, and also on aspects of Islam as a whole. He taught the sociology of religion at the S ...
of
Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public university, public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of ...
marks the fatwa among incidents that catalyze "conservative turn" of the Muslim society in Indonesia.


Notes


See also

*
List of fatwas A fatwa () is a non-binding legal opinion in Islam, issued by an Islamically qualified religious law specialist, known as a ''mufti'', on a specific issue. The following is a list of notable historical and contemporary fatwas. Pre-19th century ...


References


Footnotes


Bibliography

*Barton, G. (1997). Indonesia's Nurcholish Madjid and Abdurrahman Wahid as intellectual Ulama: The meeting of Islamic traditionalism and modernism in neo‐modernist thought. ''Studia Islamika''. 4(1), pp.29-81. *Gillespie, P. (2007). Current issues in Indonesian Islam: Analysing the 2005 council of Indonesian Ulama Fatwa no.7 opposing pluralism, liberalism and secularism. ''Journal of Islamic Studies''. 18(2), pp.202–240. *Majelis Ulama Indonesia. (2005). Pluralisme, Liberalisme, Dan Sekularisme Agama. ''Himpunan Fatwa Majelis Ulama Indonesia''. *Nur Ichwan, M. (2013). Towards a Puritanical Moderate Islam: The Majelis Ulama Indonesia and the Politics of Religious Orthodoxy. In Martin Van Bruinessen ed. ''Contemporary Developments in Indonesian Islam Explaining the 'Conservative Turn. Singapore: ISEAS Publishing. *Sirry, M. (2013). Fatwas and their controversy: The case of the Council of Indonesian Ulama (MUI). ''Journal of Southeast Asian Studies''. 44(1), pp 100–117. *Van Bruinessen, M. (2013). Introduction: Contemporary Developments in Indonesian Islam and the “Conservative Turn” of the Early Twenty-first Century. In Martin Van Bruinessen ed. ''Contemporary Developments in Indonesian Islam Explaining the 'Conservative Turn. Singapore: ISEAS Publishing.


External links


Fatwa on Religious Pluralism, Liberalism, and Secularism (PDF)
{{Islam in Indonesia 2005 documents 2005 in Indonesia 2005 in Islam Fatwas History of Islam in Indonesia Religious pluralism Liberalism in Indonesia Secularism in Indonesia Islam and secularism