Liberal Islam Network, or in Bahasa we call Jaringan Islam Liberal (JIL) has scattered its propaganda among moslems in Indonesia. The tenets of Islam liberal are being developed through the battle of ideas which hesitate almost all status quo that have been accomplished by ulama (moslem clergyman).
The history of JIL will not be regarded in this essay nor its proponets nor its opponents. Rather than looking back at the history of the incredulity of religions in western people which became the seed of pluralism, secularism and liberalism, we will probe liberal Islam Network from its terminology.
Allah SWT, the God of Moslem, the only one God in Islam has chosen the best name of religion ever: Islam. Islam itself means submission/obedience. This refers to the basic concept in Islam which make human worship nothing but Allah. In broader sense, Islam refers to the submission or obedience of human towards all teaching that had been brought by prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The core of teaching are exctracted both Quran and hadist.
If you ask Islamic liberalists, what their base in interpreting Islamic teaching, they will of course answer Quran and hadist. But what make them different from mainstream moslem is their boldness in understanding Islam and all its pertinent tenets. They said if all people have the same right to interpret this religion. Apparently, we shall not wonder with this because they have declared themselves as liberalist. According to Longman, liberal means: 1.willing to understand or respect the different behavior, ideas etc. of other people and the other definition; 2. supporting or allowing changes in political, social, or religious systems that give people more freedom; 3. not exact.
Summing those definitions above up, the word liberal itself can be replaced to the single word ‘freedom’. Understanding or respecting the different behavior, ideas and so forth likely sounds ‘good’ not to mention ‘sophisticated.’ But what is wrong with difference? What is wrong with changes? What is wrong with freedom?
The aforementioned Islam definition supposedly closes all the door of ‘liberal’ lexis to be side by side with ‘Islam’ lexis. If you free doing anything, it means that you are not being obedient or submissive. The liberalists seem to compel these two opposite words to be put altogether as one naming. Islam which means submission, moreover, reflects its teaching from its name. All orders, obligations, rules and so forth so on, have to meet with submission criteria.
Liberal term opens free interpretation, therefore it doesn’t match with obedience or submission criteria no matter how hard we try to find justification. If every individual can interpret a religion according to his/her own version, there will be no obedience there because everything will be tentative and arbitrary. Even though the dumb one who cannot even differentiate between Quran and Hadist can worship his/her god according to his/her style. So, to what degree the liberalists can put ‘Islam’ and ‘liberal’ if the nature of these two words conflicting each other? To what extent every person can interpret his/her religion? And what is exactly Islam Liberal?
Muhalim/@memetolicious is the actuator of Indonesia without Liberal Islam Network (#IndonesiaTanpaJIL) chapter Makassar
You can also visit on: makassarmoveon.com
