Interreligious Coexistence and the State: The Problem of the Use of the Word Kāfir in Indonesia

Abstract

One of the problems of a nation state is how to address religious minorities, because such addresses often imply negative images of “others.” To that end, Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia, decided in the 2019 annual conference that the term kāfi r (Arabic for “nonbeliever”) should not be used to denote non-Muslim Indonesian citizens in the public space. The subsequent debate on the matter highlights the relationship between Islam and the nation state: while nobody had questioned the equality of all citizens, the decision needed to be justifi ed from a religious point of view. The implementation of such a decision in other Muslim-majority nation states may lead to followers of diff erent religions coexisting together. Introduction If one considers the issue of coexistence among believers of diff erent religions, one problem is how to address the believers of other religions because such terms of address often imply negative images of “others.” “Infidels” and “pagans” are among the words often used in English to mean “non-believers,” but it is not appropriate to use them in contemporary society because of their negative connotations. In Islam, the word kāfir (in Arabic, “nonbelievers”) is such a word. The use of words in daily life or in public spaces to address nonMuslims may cause a problem. In what situations can the use of such words be justifi ed or criticized within a Muslim-majority nation-state? This article discusses the interreligious coexistence in a nation-state, focusing on the recommendation of Nahdlatul Ulama (henceforth NU), the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia, not to use the word kāfi r when addressing non-Muslims. The Term Kāfi r and the Problems of its Use Kāfi r is an Arabic term that originally meant “obliterating,” “covering,” or “ungrateful.” In the * Professor, Faculty of Business and Commerce, Keio University. 1 This article is a part of the academic achievements of the Asian History Research Project by JFE 21st Century Foundation “The Idea of Coexistence and its Practices in the Asian Islam Based on Sufism” (2019–2020), ILCAA Joint Research Project “Multi-disciplinary Study on the Interactions between Islamism and Socio-cultural Factors in Southeast Asia-Transnational Networks and Local Responses” and Grant-in-Aid for Scientifi c Research (A) [JP16H01904] “Structural Comprehension of Islamic Mysticism: Explication of Sufi sm-Tariqa-Saint Veneration Complex” (2016–2021). イスラーム世界研究 第 14 巻(2021 年 3 月)115‒123 頁 Kyoto Bulletin of Islamic Area Studies, 14 (March 2021), pp. 115–123 02英特2_02_arai_ver7.indd 115 2021/03/23 14:00:52 116 Kyoto Bulletin of Islamic Area Studies 14 (March 2021) Qur’an, the term kāfi r is used to mean “concealing God’s blessings” and “ungrateful to God.”2 These days, it is used to designate “infi dels,” “unbelievers,” or more generally “non-Muslims.” Since it appears many times in the Qur’an, the word is used frequently in religious sciences such as theology, Islamic jurisprudence, and others to denote “non-Muslim.” In this context, the word kāfi r is a technical term that need not imply a sense of contempt. However, careless use of the word in the real world can result in serious problems. For example, it was found out in early 2020 that a boy scout coach instructed the students yell “Islam yes, kafi r-kafi r no,” in the Timuran primary school, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. A mother of a student was surprised to learn this and protested it. The matter went viral on social media and was fi nally covered by national media. This has become a major issue because it is related to SARA (Suku, Agama, Ras, Antargolongan, or ethnic, religious, racial, and intergroup relations), a very delicate issue in Indonesia. The governor of Yogyakarta, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, expressed regret regarding the matter, saying, “There is no kafi r in Indonesia.”3 The word kāfi r is not deemed a neutral word, at least in contemporary Indonesian society. The Recommendation by NU at the National Congress 2019 It is likely that the “Yogyakarta case” was covered widely by the media because the use of kāfir had been under debate in the previous year. It started with the decision by NU at the National Congress 2019, held from 27 February to 1 March, 2019, at Pesantren Miftahul Huda Al Azhar, the City of Banjar, West Java, where after discussions, NU issued official recommendations, one of which was on the use of the word kāfi r, such that in the system of the nation-state and citizenship there is no term such as kāfi r (tidak dikenal istilah kafi r): Every citizen has the same position and rights under the Constitution.4 Abdul Moqsith Ghazali, the chair of the Bahtsul Masail Maudluiyyah (discussion of thematic issue) session in which the matter was discussed, said that some Kiais (Muslim religious scholars) expressed the opinion that the use of the term kāfi r may hurt the feeling of non-Muslim residents in Indonesia. Since the use of word may contain an element of “theological violence,” Kiais recommended that the term kāfi r not be used, and instead the words Muwathinun (a loan word from Arabic meaning “citizens”) or warga negara (“citizens” in Indonesian) be used, indicating that their status is equal to that of Muslim citizens. This does not mean, however, that NU will erase the word kāfi r from the Qur’an or hadiths; the decision applies only to non-Muslim Indonesian citizens.5 2 “Kāfi r,” Encyclopaedia of Islam 2nd Edition. 3 Wijaya Kusuma, “Pembina Pramuka Ajarkan Siswa SD Yogyakarta Yel Berbau SARA, Sri Sultan: Di Indonesia Tak Ada Kafir,” Kompas.com 2020/1/14 <https://regional.kompas.com/read/2020/01/14/17442791/ pembina-pramuka-ajarkan-siswa-sd-yogyakarta-yel-berbau-sara-sri-sultan-di?page=all> (accessed 22 October 2020). 4 “Ketum PBNU Serahkan Rekomendasi Hasil Munas pada JK,” nu.or.id 2019/3/1 <https://www.nu.or.id/ post/read/103198/ketum-pbnu-serahkan-rekomendasi-hasil-munas-pada-jk> (accessed 24 August 2020). 5 M Rosseno Aji. “5 Hasil Munas Alim Ulama NU: Soal Sebutan Kafi r sampai Bisnis MLM,” Tempo.co 2019/3/2 <https://nasional.tempo.co/read/1181081/5-hasil-munas-alim-ulama-nu-soal-sebutan-kafi r-sampai02英特2_02_arai_ver7.indd 116 2021/03/23 14:00:56 117 Interreligious Coexistence and the State This kind of decision is not new to the NU. At the National Congress in 1984 in Situbondo, it was decided that there were three kinds of brotherhood in nation-states that had to be knit together: they were 1. brotherhood among believers of the same faith (persaudaraan seiman), 2. brotherhood among citizens (ukhuwah wathaniyah), and 3. brotherhood among mankind (ukhuwah insaniyah). The decision in this instance concerns national brotherhood.6 Earlier, the term kāfir was discussed from the perspective of theology at the NU Congress in 1930. This time, however, the discussion was from the perspective of the nation-state (Indonesia). Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU) chairman, Sulton Fathoni, said that after 89 years, the discussion of the term had become complete.7 Responses from Various Parties The recommendation by NU prompted various groups to express their opinions on this matter. Reactions from other religious organizations (besides Islamic ones) are basically positive, or at least not negative. Gomar Gultom, the general secretary of the Association of Indonesian Churches (Persekutuan Gereja Indonesia), says, “we do not want to accuse the term kāfir in the Holy Scripture if there is such a word in it. However, in a plural society, and from the perspective of true humanity, it is appropriate that we spread understanding in order to appreciate each other more.”8 The Supreme Council of Indonesian Hinduism (Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia) also supports the recommendation of the NU because it strengthens the sense of unity of the nation.9 The Representative of Indonesian Buddhists (Perwakilan Umat Buddha Indonesia) seems uninterested in the matter, saying that it had not considered the term problematic in the first place. According to Rusli Tan, the spokesman of the organization, it is not pertinent for Buddhists to demand that others respect them, for whether they are respected or not, it is karma.10 Uung Sendana L Linggaraja, the chairman of the High Council of Indonesian Confucianism (Majelis Tinggi Agama Konghucu Indonesia) welcomed the recommendation, saying that he feels uncomfortable when he hears the word kāfir even after his Muslim friends explained the meaning of kāfi r.11 Thus, the organizations of various bisnis-mlm> (accessed 22 August 2020). 6 Jabbar Ramdhani. “Penjelasan PBNU soal Rekomendasi ‘Jangan Sebut Kafir ke Non-muslim’,” detiknews 2019/3/2 <https://news.detik.com/berita/d-4451174/penjelasan-pbnu-soal-rekomendasi-jangansebut-kafi r-ke-non-muslim> (accessed 23 August 2020). 7 Andri Saubani. “Hari Hargai Keputusan NU dan Hentikan Polemik Istilah Kafir,” republika.co.id 2019/3/5 <https://republika.co.id/berita/pnvdqg409/mari-hargai-keputusan-nu-dan-hentikan-polemik-istilahkafi r> (accessed 4 October 2020). 8 Ahmad Faiz Ibnu Sani. “Ragam Tanggapan Soal Usul NU Menghapus Istilah Kafi r,” Tempo.co 2019/3/3 <https://nasional.tempo.co/read/1181282/ragam-tanggapan-soal-usul-nu-menghapus-istilah-kafi r> (accessed 22 August 2020). 9 Ibid. 10 Ibid. 11 Nashih Nashrullah. “Soal Istilah Kafir, Matakin: Kurang Nyaman Mendengarnya,” republika. 02英特2_02_arai_ver7.indd 117 2021/03/23 14:00:56 118 Kyoto Bulletin of Islamic Area Studies 14 (March 2021) religions basically appreciate the NU’s recommendation because it facilitates the brotherhood ( persaudaraan) among the people. The reactions from the Muslim side varied. The Indonesian Ulama Council (Majelis Islam Indonesia, henceforth MUI) does not seem to consider this matter a major issue, calling for Muslims not to be caught up strongly in polemics. According to KH Zainut Tauhid Sa’adi, the Vice General Chairman (Wakil Ketua Umum) of the MUI, the decision of the NU must be respected because it is a resu