Social Affairs

Stories: Muslim Leaders Reaffirm Tolerance  Java Village Turns Out Champions

Muslim Leaders Reaffirm Traditional Tolerance  

By VAUDINE ENGLAND     The leaders of Indonesia 's two largest Muslim organisations - representing tens of millions of people across Southeast Asia - say it is time to reassert  the moderation, tolerance and mutual respect for which Islam has always  stood.

"When we meet nationalist groups or socialists, or even foreigners, they  express concern that the face of Islam here will become increasingly brutal,"  said Syafi'i Ma'arif, chairman of Muhammadiyah, who was flanked by Hasyim  Muzadi, chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim group .

"They want us, as the two biggest organisations, to project a calm image of  Islam that protects people of other religions."

Muhammadiyah and the NU between them claim a membership of almost 50 million,  but have competed with each other for political influence.

Their core activities are running schools, mosques and welfare support  groups, with NU strongest among the rural faithful and Muhammadiyah claiming  a modernist mantle.

Fears have risen in recent months, and particularly since the demonising of  an extreme brand of Islam represented by Osama bin Laden, that Indonesia 's  mainly Muslim people will become more radical and less accepting of other  faiths.

The Laskar Jihad and the Front to Defend Islam (FPI) have done most damage to  the historically gentle and adaptable brand of majority Islam. Laskar Jihad  sends young men to fight Christians in parts of Sulawesi and the Maluku while  FPI raids nightclubs and other "houses of sin".

But this is not typical of Indonesian Islam. The comments from NU and  Muhammadiyah are a welcome reversion to more basic traditions of tolerance,  analysts believe.

"It's all good news and I think their comments are very genuine," said  Douglas Ramage, author of Politics in Indonesia - Islam, Democracy and the  Ideology of Tolerance. "Moderates always take longer to find their voice.  This is the genuine sentiment of the moderate majority in Indonesia ."

 Ramage expects the reclaiming of the middle ground by the NU and Muhammadiyah  to help delegitimise some of the more extreme statements from Muslim  protesters of late.

 

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They Play for Their Lives: Java Village Churns out Golf Champions

'My uncle's success inspires all the kids here. Everything he has came from golf - the house, the car, the motorcycle,' he said.   Next month, his three sons would compete to become professional golfers. But this second generation of Bojongsari golfers has it easier than its predecessors.  Born to families of small-time farmers, their fathers and uncles had to sell their land when the golf course was built in 1970.

Mr Maan and his friends, for example, started learning golf with wooden clubs when they were 10 years old, and at the risk of being chased out by security guards.   Now golf is a career choice for the younger generation in the Bojongsari village.

Iin's elder brother Gunawan, 23, is an amateur champion who teaches at a golf school in South Jakarta . He wants his 18-month-old son to follow his path. 'I want to make him Asia 's Tiger Woods,' he said of the golf icon he once competed against in a junior tournament in the United States .   He takes pride in the fact that most young Indonesian golfers come from his village rather than from well-off families.

'We are motivated because we play for our lives. Rich children do not have that kind of drive and most do not want to be out in the sun.'    Straits Times [ Singapore ] Sunday, January 6, 2002