RI's Islamic organizations told to 'think globally'

Jakarta, NU Online
Local Islamic organizations should unite and start a global movement to advance Indonesian Muslims and extend their political influence, scholars say.

Former Muhammadiyah chairman Amien said Islamic organizations should think globally to draw more members or followers.<>

"So far, I see that Islamic organizations, including two mainstream movements, Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), are yet to respond well to global issues. They are still focused on local issues."

"It's so surprising given Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world," Amien told a religious discussion co-hosted by NU and the International Conference of Islamic Scholars at the NU headquarters in Kramat Raya, Central Jakarta on Thursday (26/6).

"Muhammadiyah members also still think locally. We just discuss local issues like education, health and welfare. We rarely discuss international issues or policies."

"People overseas will recognize our Islamic organizations if they start to think globally. This is a good opportunity for organizations to draw more members," he said.

Amien said it was important to introduce and promote Indonesia's Islamic organizations so the world had a better understanding of Indonesian Muslims.

Indonesia is the largest Muslim population in the world, comprising more than 182 million Muslims of its 208 million people, the Religious Affairs Ministry reported in 2005.

Amien said the country's Islamic organizations should learn from their counterparts from other Muslim nations like Iran, Lebanon, Turkey and Algeria. He cited Hizbut Tahrir, an extremist group from Lebanon, as an example.

"This group has successfully spread its teachings all over the world," Amien, who is also a former chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly, said.

In the meantime KH Ma'ruf Amin of NU said all Islamic organizations in the country should unite to develop Indonesian Muslims.

"All organizations should put aside any differences and stick in the same movement," Ma'ruf said. "So far, ulema have tended to be left behind. Now, it's time for them to prove that they can make changes and play a larger role in this country, like giving suggestions to the government in policy making," he said. (jp/dar)