Colorful Islam

The message called on the Muslim community to reject the idea of a single view of Islam because this belief can be used to justify certain groups actions while denying other groups the right to hold their own views. The idea of a many-faceted Islam was designed to encourage pluralism and social diversity.

The public service advertisement “Colorful
Islam” which was prominently displayed several weeks ago on Indonesia’s two
biggest national television stations, RCTI and SCTV, suddenly disappeared. As
communicated through the media, those in charge of both television stations
declared that they had decided to withdraw the advertisement because of threats
from the Majelis Mujahidin, an Islamic organization taking a hard line in the
campaign against Islamic reform.

Many people have criticized this. They
argue that the attitude of Majelis Mujahidin is one of arrogance. How can one
group claim the sole right to interpret Islam? Thus many parties feel that RCTI
and SCTV have been “irresponsible” especially in that they simply withdrew the advertisment
without discussing the retraction with Utan Kayu’s Islamic community (KIUK),
the group which sponsored the advertisement.

Widespread objection to this event has been
expressed amongst members of the group Liberal Islam. I don’t want to prolong
the debate about the anxiety and the reactionary nature behind this decision by
both televisions. In this limited space, I just want to explain the origin of
the advertizing slogan and to what extent the term “Colorful Islam” phrase can
held accountable for being offensive to anti-reformist Islamic groups. I was
involved in the preparation of the advertisement with other members of KIUK. We
discussed and thought over every word deeply and why such ideas should have
been advertized. The phrase “Colorful Islam” was the final option we came up
with after very careful consideration.

The message conveyed through that
advertisement was that Islam is not a single monolithic entity but a religous
belief open to different interpretations. The message called on the Muslim
community to reject the idea of a single view of Islam because this belief can
be used to justify certain groups actions while denying other groups the right
to hold their own views. The idea of a many-faceted Islam was designed to encourage
pluralism and social diversity.

In the modern world, slogans are essential.
They are not simply effective phrases for transmitting messages but serve as
psychological jargon for the audience as well. The KIUK staff, who work with
the mass media, obviously understood the psychological significance behind the
choice of the slogan. “Colorful Islam” is not just an exotic selection of
words, but a slogan based on theological (kalamiyyah), Islamic
jurisprudential (fiqhiyyah), and sociological (ijtimaiyyah) arguments
as described in the plan for the advertisement. The slogan was the result of
careful contemplation over Islamic doctrine and history.

Theologically, Islam has many forms. Since
the death of Prophet Muhammad, Muslim communities have always held a variety of
beliefs (Aqeeda) regarding divinity, prophecy, revelation, and other
immaterial matters. Islam is by its nature diverse, for example, in the forms
of Murjiah, Syiah, Khawarij, Muktazilah, and Ahlussunnah. The Fiqh tradition in
particular highlights diversity in endorsing the doctrine of aktsaru min qaulayn
(to hold more than two opinions). This means that there is always a
possibility of other’s truth outside of our own beliefs of what constitutes
truth.

One Prophetic tradition says: la yafqahu al-rajulu
hatta yara fi al-qur’ani wujuhan katsiratan (someone is not considered as faqih
until he observes many aspects of the Qur’an). Accepting different views is
at the core of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) teaching. ThusAziz Azmah, a
Syrian intellectual, writes that: “sociologically we cannot talk about the one
Islam, but Islams” (Islams and Modernities, 1996). Indeed, there are many forms
of Islam in the modern world: NU Islam, Muhammadiyah Islam, FPI Islam, Wahaby
Islam, Laskar Jihad Islam, Liberal Islam, and so on.

Ever since the time of the Prophet, Islam
has existed in the form of many beliefs, or symbolically speaking—in many
colors. This colorfulness in Islam is not a problem which should be regretted
or criticized. But, on the contrary, as said by the prophet, it must be
appreciated because it is part of Allah’s blessing (ikhtilafu ummati rahmah).

Al Qur’an itself reminds us clearly that
the diversity in Islam was deliberately made by Allah. In sura Hud (11) verse
118-119 and sura al-Ma’idah (5) verse 51, Allah clearly denies the unitary view
(wahidah) and on the contrary emphasizes diversity (mukhtalifin). Thus denying
a colorful Islam involves the denial of the sunnah given by Allah in the Al Qur’an.

BY: Luthfi Assyaukanie