Breezing Puncak weather failed to out-comfort the warm welcome provided by Committee for 120 Pesantren (Islamic Boarding School) Directors who participated in Citizens’ Constitutional Rights Education and National Seminar Rahmatan Lil Alamin Islam.    

Opened by Chief Justice Hamdan Zoleva on Friday (12/5), the event held on Friday-Monday (5-7 December 2014) aimed at giving paradigm of aligning Constitution to Islamic teaching. Hamdan in his speech, said that Islam is the vast majority therefore giving good example to other worshippers is really applaudable. “By not becoming radical, muslims in Indonesia must disperse to good example of nation-based orientation in living, respecting the other adherents as one who also contribute in raising this nation,” he said.

Meanwhile, in the event that also attended by Secretary-general Janedjri M. Gaffar, Minister of Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim Saifuddin said that Indonesia imposes strong religious accent in its Constitution, although it is not directly reflected as implementing law.”Indonesia is neither Islam nor Secular state, the philosophy and constitution of Indonesia clearly revering to Islamic notion,” said the minister who has been appointed as Minister of Religious Affairs in former President Yudhoyono’s administration.  

“It is not adjudicating sharia, but at least every of our law is not up against the Sharia,” he added.  

Dar-es-salaam Indonesia

Supporting Lukman’s statement, Former Chief Justice Mahfud Md who gave lecture in the seminar said that even though Sharia is not directly implemented in Indonesia but the substance is still infused within our law. “For instance, wrist amputation for those who steal, it is intended to avoid the culprit repeat his/her wrongdoing. We replace the detention with imprisonment, the substance and intention are pretty much same,” Mahfud said.

He also said that Indonesia is categorized as Darrussalam or Dar-es-salaam. “Although sharia is not explicitly implemented, but in Indonesia performing prayer or other activities is protected,” he added by adding that Indonesia is not Dar-el-Harb or state of war, thus, it is mandatory for muslims to defend the nation that has given protection to its religious activities.  

According to Mahmud who also has strong Islamic background, Allah teaches tolerance to human being, “If Allah wants to make everything uniform that it will be, but it is not what happened, Allah implies for us to create unity amongst difference,” Mahfud said.

To the Pesantren directors from all over Indonesia, Mahfud persuades,”Muslims must defend Indonesia as common agreement (modus vivendi) to accomplish our humanity task,” Mahfud said closing his speech. (Winandriyo Kun/)