Insight: Muhammadiyah and Indonesia’s international identity

Rizal Sukma, thejakartapost.com

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Extract:

This week, Muhammadiyah, the oldest and second-largest Muslim organization in Indonesia, will hold its 47th congress in Makassar, South Sulawesi. The congress is significant for at least two reasons. 

This will be the first congress it has held since it turned 100 years old. For Muhammadiyah, it also means it needs to discuss the key challenges it is likely to face and what sort of institution-building steps it needs to take in order to overcome these challenges. In other words, during the congress, Muhammadiyah will have to decide what direction it will take over the next 100 years. 

During the congress Muhammadiyah will elect new 13 leaders, of which the position of chairman always attracts the most attention. The current chairman, Din Syamsuddin, cannot run again as he has served for two consecutive periods. Finding someone with the same qualifications as Din to lead Muhammadiyah will be a huge challenge. Din has indeed had a huge impact on the organization.

In fact, under Din, Muhammadiyah has played a role beyond its traditional domain of education, health, social welfare and da’wah (preaching of Islam). It has expanded its role from a national player to an international actor. That international role has served as an important aspect that has not only shaped Indonesia’s international identity but has also defined the country’s international standing within the community of nations over the last 10 years. 

Indeed, the last decade was a difficult period for Indonesia. In the post-9/11 world, many in the West increasingly saw Islam as the source of the problem. Mutual suspicion ensued. As the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia was faced with a set of complex challenges. The key challenge at that time was how to prevent a “clash of civilizations” and present Indonesian Islam as a moderate voice seeking to bridge the perception gap between the West and the Muslim world.

The Indonesian government embarked on a foreign policy that sought to project the image of a moderate, tolerant and progressive Muslim country. Together with democracy, then foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda presented moderate Islam as a key asset in Indonesia’s foreign policy. The use of public diplomacy has been instrumental in projecting Indonesia as a moderating voice within the Muslim world and between the Muslim world and the West.

Without the support of Muhammadiyah leaders, it would not have been possible for the Indonesian government to achieve such public diplomacy objectives. It was Muhammadiyah leaders, together with other moderate Muslim leaders in other organizations such Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) who played an instrumental role in presenting the moderate face of Indonesian Islam in the international arena. It was Muhammadiyah leaders who traveled around the world, engaged in many interfaith dialogues with various religious communities abroad and explained about Islam. ...