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          Kyai Haji Syamsudin      Islam.  In fact, as voiced by a senior   liberalism as understanding religious                were very problematic and misguiding.   hardliner groups and that it would lead
          (center) founder of the   FPI official, Shabri Lubis, the Ahmadiyah   texts or giving them meaning by the              Azyumardi Azra, a Muslim intellectual and   to the instigation of the persecution of
          Pondok Pesantren Duri    congregation had to be combatted. In    use of reason and the only accepted                   the Rector of the State Islamic University   pluralists among Islamic groups. 84
          Sawo, Ponorogo, East     public, FPI leaders called on Muslims   religious doctrine are those that accord              Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta at the time,
          Java                     to brandish the flag of war against the   with rationality. It defined secularism as          had the same critique arguing that the MUI   These fatwas, especially those issued by
                                                                                                                                                                        the post-reform MUI leadership appear
                                   Ahmadiyyah and to declare that they     the separation of worldly and religious               could not prohibit or discourage people
          Source: Documentation                                                                                                                                         to be more concerned with politics, as
          Pondok Pesantren Duri    had polluted the Islamic faith, on the   affairs, in which religion is only seen as           to think, while pluralism, liberalism, and   can be seen in the case of elections and
          Sawo                     basis of which spilling their blood was   a personal relationship with God, while             secularism are not ideologies but ways   related fatwas on the rights of certain
                                   lawful.  Some organizations noted that   human relations are governed by social               of thinking.  Azra thought that the MUI’s
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                                   the period from 2005 to 2011 had seen   contracts. Furthermore, to conclude the               problematic definitions of the three key   groups. The fatwas of the MUI often
                                   houses, mosques, offices, and schools   fatwa, the MUI stated that pluralism,                 terms in the fatwa was caused by the MUI   stimulate the issuance of new policies by
                                   that belonged to the Ahmadiyah in West   liberalism and secularism had abused                 membership which was dominated by      the Ministry of Religious Affairs that have
                                   Java, Lombok, and Banten destroyed      Islam and, therefore, Muslims were not                groups that understand the Qur’an and   more formal legal force and are hence
                                   and set on fire, and at least two Ahmadis   allowed to follow these ideologies. 80            the Hadith literally without using reason or   binding. The collaboration between
                                   had been murdered. 79                                                                         logic.                                 both has led to the strengthening of
                                                                           The fatwa on the unlawfulness of pluralism,                                                  conservatism and radicalism. This
                                   Another manifestation of the MUI’s      liberalism, and secularism inevitably incited         A representative of the largest Muslim   can be seen, for example, in the
                                   increasing favor with the growing current   responses and criticism from various              organization in Indonesia had the      emergence of religious leaders and
                                   of post-reform Islamic conservatism is   factions as well as from the religious               same critique. Hasyim Muzadi, the      Islamic organizations that openly or
                                   the MUI fatwa on the unlawfulness of    communities. The proponents of the fatwa              general chairman of the NU at that     covertly support or condone acts that
                                   pluralism, liberalism and secularism. In   were Islamic radical groups, who used it to        time, asserted that the fatwa of the MUI   restrict and violate the principles of
                                   its fatwa, the MUI firstly explained the   legitimate their threats and acts of violence,     was a step backwards in the context    religious freedom.  This group seems
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                                   definitions of the three issues at hand.   as may be seen in the raid on JIL’s office         of inter-religious relations in Indonesia.   to display an ambivalent attitude about
                                   The MUI divided pluralism into religious   in Utan Kayu, East Jakarta, only a few             While Masdar Mas’udi, another NU       the disruption of religious harmony in
                                   pluralism and the plurality of religions.   days after the fatwa had been issued.             leader, explicitly demanded that the   Indonesia.It condemned terrorism but
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                                   The first term, which the MUI rejected   Criticism was also voiced by inclusive               MUI revoke its fatwa because it might   did not have a similar attitude against
                                   and which became the concern of the     and liberal circles and Dawam Rahardjo                trigger increasing violence in the name   religion-based violence related to
                                   fatwa was the understanding that all    pointed out that the fatwa had obviously              of religion. Criticism was also voiced   sectarian conflicts and to disputes
                                   religions are equal and each religious   upset and violated the freedom of thought,           by Christian circles. Franz Magnis-    concerning houses of worship. 86
                                   truth is relative. The second term, which   the freedom of speech, and the freedom of         Suseno said that pluralism is actually
                                   the MUI finds acceptable, is the reality   religion, as well as the freedom of belief, all    a very clear and very positive concept   On the other side, the collaborative
                                   of the presence of different religions and   of which are the most basic human rights.        in the reality of diversity. He thought   policies of the Ministry of Religion and
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                                   that their adherents live alongside each   He also pointed out that the definitions           that the MUI’s definition of the term   the MUI have caused extended and
                                   another. The MUI understood religious   of the three key concepts in the fatwa                pluralism was one typically given by   profound discussions about Islamic



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