My last post introduced the contemporary evangelical tension between the use of psychology and the Bible in dealing with problems. I stated that I would continue with that topic, and I plan to do so. However, a current development in the Muslim world relates to a recent posting regarding Islam, and therefore I believe that this issue needs attention.
I had discussed problems with the representation of Islam as a peaceful religion, citing among other factors the failure of mainstream Muslims to distance themselves from, and express opposition to, the heinous acts of radical Muslims.
One breaking story represents a major departure from this typical Muslim silence. This development is of special importance because it is occurring in Indonesia, the most populous Muslim nation, and also because it entails highly visible and influential manifestations of Islam in that nation.
This development begins with the account I reported to you earlier of the arrest, conviction, and sentencing to three years imprisonment of three Sunday school teachers for seeking to convert Muslim children. As I noted in describing this case, what the women did was clearly within the law, and the attempts of Muslims to obstruct the judicial process was overt and flagrant. Therefore, their conviction and sentencing was a travesty.
The women have now appealed. What is of special interest is the outpouring of opposition to those radicals who want them punished from high-profile segments of the Muslim community. The World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission reports that the intolerance demonstrated by these radical Muslims, and the extremist ideology driving it, has produced a schism in the Indonesian Muslim community.
Former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, who is president of the Nahdlatul Ulama, has rejected this extremist ideology and has issued a strong condemnation of the recent violence against Christians and their churches. The Nahdlatul Ulama is the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia and boasts more than 40 million members.
Indonesia’s Democratic Education Association also has condemned this ideology as “unconstitutional” and has urged the government to uphold the people’s constitutional rights. They urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s administration “to be proactive in maintaining pluralism” instead of caving in to radical Muslim teaching.
The appeal by these three imprisoned women serves as a test case to see if these shrill voices and radical concepts of Muslim extremists will prevail, or whether the more moderate position described above and the rule of law will triumph. In any case, it is heartening that in Indonesia some prominent Muslim voices are being raised against extremism. If these voices are heard and heeded, Indonesia might serve as a model that other Muslim countries might emulate. Perhaps this Muslim call for justice instead of terrorism may serve as a crack in the armor of Muslim extremism.