Islamic organizations` role in post-reform era declining: observer

Jakarta, NU Online
The role of Islamic organizations has continued to decline since the advent of the reform era 10 years ago after historically always exerting great influence in Indonesian society, an observer said.

"Their energy came to be spent mostly on politics," political science expert Prof Dr Bachtiar Effendi said at a seminar on "Reviewing the Socio-Political Role of Islamic Religious Organizations in the Reform Era" at the office of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), here on Thursday.<>

Bachtiar who is also dean of the Social and Political Science Department of state "Syarif Hidayatullah" Islam University (UIN) said in the era of the New Order government under the late president Soeharto when religious organizations were barred from participating in politics a lot of madrassahs (Islamic schools), pesantrens (Islamic boarding schools) and hospitals had emerged, set up by Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country`s two main Islamic organizations.

"But in the current reform era none of them have built anything which could be considered a religious charity. The charities that were done were mere continuations of the ones in existence before. Their function is no longer significant," he was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.

Four months after Soeharto stepped down 181 political parties emerged, 46 of them based on Islam, he said. The then chairman of Muhammadiyah, Amien Rais, was busy with succession while then NU chairman KH Abdurrahman Wahid was busy with a democracy forum that he had set up.

He said other organizations such as Persis (United Islam), Mathla`ul Anwar and others that used to also play a significant role in religious charity activities no longer played significant roles in the social field.

New Islamic organizations that emerged during the reform era such as FPI (Islam Defenders` Front), MMI Indonesia Mujahidin Council), HTI (Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia) and others also did not perform religious functions but tended mostly to engage in political activity.

A concerning thing , he said, was the growing signs of demoralization among religious organizations in which religious leaders were no longer listened to and ties between clerics and students had become weak.

"Over the past 10 years, NU`s and Muhammadiyah`s influence has eroded significantly. Their leaders` calls (fatwa) are no longer heeded while their charisma has also dimmed," he said.

Bachtiar said efforts should be made to make Islamic organizatons refocus on their independent social functions and not being coopted so that they would become more respected.

"NU and Muhammadiyah were founded before the Republic of Indonesia was born and from the beginning they always gave to and never asked from the state and the people," he said. (dar)