No confusion needed here

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WHEN those in the authorities are indecisive, more than public confusion occurs. That is at least what is happening with our neighbour Indonesia as it tries to cope with the polemics as well as clashes over the existence of Ahmadiyah, a group of people who claim to be Muslims but rejects the seal of prophethood given to the Holy Prophet, Muhammad, peace be upon him, and insists on having their own "holy book" Tadzkirah.

Over the past months, concerned Muslim groups have called on the Indonesian government to ban Ahmadiyah. The Council of Indonesian 'Ulama has actually issued a fatwa calling the group abberant. Those who claim to be the proponents of the "freedom of faith and religion" have protested the ban calling it a violation of human rights.

On Sunday, a mass of people calling themselves the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion held a rally in Jakarta to protest the ban, and clashed with a Muslim group spearheaded by, among others, the Islamic Defender Front (FPI). Police said they had actually warned the alliance members of a possible clash with Muslim groups who would be staging a protest against the fuel price increases at the same time, but the alliance insisted on going anyway.

A clash did occur and some alliance members were reportedly injured.

Human rights activists, politicians and leaders of Muslim organisations Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama have condemned the clash which they described as "attacks" or even "ambush." This, certainly, is interesting, at least in the case of Nahdlatul Ulama which in 1930 declared followers of Ahmadiyah aberrant and infidel (murtad - apostate).

The National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion, many of whom were actually members of the Liberal Islam Network (JIL), announced the event to the public through newspapers, saying they endorsed pluralism and urged everybody not to be intimidated by people who threatened practitioners of different beliefs, as in the case of the "Ahmadiyah Islamic sect." JIL has been increasingly outspoken in their statements that refute, for instance, the sanctity of Al Quran as the words of God.

The foot-dragging of the authorities in Indonesia has worsened the tension. The ministries of Religious Affairs and the Home Affairs, together with the office of the Attorney General of Indonesia, have agreed that Ahmadiyah (from both strains of Lahore and Qadiyani) should be banned. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, however, has been taking his time to approve the three offices' joint decree to officially ban Ahmadiyah. This has been taken as a momentum for the so-called "human rights" and "religious freedom" activists to press their case.

For Muslims around the world, having somebody claiming to be Muslims tell them that there is another prophet after Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is an insult. An abomination.

The Brunei Times ran recently an article by Indonesian Muslim scholar Dr Syamsuddin Arif who suggested a way out for Ahmadiyah namely to simply leave the fold of Islam and declare themselves a different belief group, much like Mormonism in the United States. By simply doing so, they would put a halt to all confusion and debates, even clashes.

Here in Brunei Darussalam, we are thankfully guided by a clear position that we are an Islamic Sultanate with the aqidah (faith) of Ahlussunnah wal Jama'ah and the mazhab (school of thought) of Syafi'i.

No confusion here, no hesitation on how to deal with any groups trying to go against the principle, which also forms the basis of the nation's identity.

Here, those "arms" tasked with safeguarding the faith here, such as Ministry of Religious Affairs, the office of the State Mufti, Majelis Ugama, Pusat Dakwah Islamiyah (Islamic Da'wah Centre), Mahkamah Syariah, Baitul Maal, and Islamic Studies department, are at least clear about lines that are not to be crossed so no confusion needs to occur.