Protests after Prince Charles opens Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies
Church of England Newspaper 26 May
Questions raised about Indonesian blasphemy charge
On Tuesday May 16 Prince Charles as patron formally opened the 60 million pound Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies as its patron.
On Thursday May 18 the Centre welcomed the vice-president of Indonesia, His Excellency Jusuf Kally to speak on “Moderate Islam- the Indonesian Experience”.
Leading a group of a dozen protesters outside the centre was Mariella Djorghi, a lawyer from Indonesia living in London who is a Roman Catholic. Other Indonesians and British people joined her. She explained her opposition to Oxfordshire TV:
“On this man’s watch, Islamic Radicals were allowed on to the streets with placards saying that Moslems cannot vote for non-Moslems. For Jusuf Kalla now to speak of moderate Islam would be like Jeremy Corbyn extolling the virtues of capitalism. He has not practiced moderate Islam. In 1968 he was involved in the burning of churches following the accusation of blasphemy made against one Roman Catholic.
In Moderate Islam non-Muslims are welcome, everyone has rights and there is equality for all. We should not be judged by our religion, skin or gender. I want to come home to a country which accepts me not because of my religion but for who I am. What point is there to take part in building a country and then be faced by the intolerance of the likes of Jusuf Kalla? I am not the one shaming my country or confronting people with signs saying do not vote for non-Muslims. They are the ones shaming the country.
Jusuf Kally said in his lecture:
“People in other countries are victims of terrorism. We have to ask why people become radical and violent. For some it derives from their interpretation of religious teaching. In other cases it is the result of failed states, or derives from foreign interventions such as the destruction of Iraq through invasion. Countries lose hope which leads to anger and revenge. Most of these foreign invasions took place without UN sanction. This has all given rise to millions of refugees.
Now to the case of blasphemy and the mayor of Jakarta. A legal and judicial process is still under way and the supreme court is yet to issue its judgement. Five judges found that Ahok had done wrong and therefore he should go to jail. I personally know Ahok as an impulsive and hot tempered man. He accused his opponent in the elections of using an Islamic verse against him. Ahok broke the law. The verdict is not about religious observation. It is about democracy. We have a law and it must be respected. You cannot insult other religions.
Religion is not the source of conflict. The real cause is injustice, economic, social and political. Radicalism and Islamism has been spread by social media. It is fundamental for any government to maintain harmony when dealing with religion.
Poverty and injustice are the breeding ground for radical extremism. It is the task of religious leaders to show that terrorism in the name of Islam is not Islam. We are all working to the same goal of a world where people are free of terrorism. We need to avoid a repeat of the destruction of Iraq and Syria.
We need to create an environment where diversity is a blessing.
Many want to know the what and where of terrorism, but not the ‘why?’. The why is because of situations of inequality where people have no hope.
He was asked if non-Muslims have an equal opportunity to stand for high office in Indonesia. He replied that there is no discrimination on the grounds of religion. Non-Muslims are 12% of the population yet in the Cabinet has thirty five members of whom 7, that is 20%, are non-Muslims. In the 35 provinces, six of the governors are Christians or Hindus. Many generals are non-Muslims and ninety per cent of our rich people are non-Muslims.
He was finally asked “Do you believe we must not be governed by non-Muslims?” He replied: We must close the inequality gap rather than identify people by religion. It took the United States 175 years to have a Roman Catholic president. President Trump was elected because he appealed to the populist majority. They are no different.
[It is reported that Jusuf Kalla on his return from UK announced he will not run for president in 2019.Ed.]
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
