Leftist Islam Indonesian Style

By : Ekky Imanjaya

My old article, 22 November 2010

In 1990s, Muslim essayist and artist  Emha Ainun Nadjib wrote:“If people feel that they are being oppressed or jobless for a long time, or want to go away from poverty, where should they address to share their feelings and emotions? Are Islamic institutions such as NU (Nahdhatul Ulama, the awakening of Islamic Scholars) or Muhammadiyah willing to help them?”. He mentioned the two biggest Indonesian Islamic organization. Surely this is just a rhetorical questions since the institutions have many social programs.

Nowadays, many Muslims in Indonesia highlight Islamic teachings more to shariah and fiqih. For me, Islam is more than that, Islam is way of life: attitude, ethics and values (such as justice, honesty, unity, peace, respect, discipline, etc), brotherhood, etc. Thus,people with fiqih-shariat-minded mostly make reduction of the holy religion.

Al Quran already remind Muslims:'They were overwhelmed with opprobrium in wherever they are, unless they adhere to the religion of God and the covenant with man.''(Surat Ali 'Imran: 112).

According to Muslim scholar Nurcholis Madjid, Islam is not just having a concept of “jihadagainst” but also   “jihad for”--in this case jihad for eradicating poverty, corruption, and injustice, and defend poor, weak, and oppressed people.

Term of Kiri Islam is not rooted from “Ashabul Yamin (right party, the ones who go to heaven) and Ashabul Syimal (left right, which belong to hell) in Quranic term, nor “Kiri” as Communism and “Kanan” as the right wing. Hassan Hanafi, intelectual from Egypt, is the one who remind us about Al Yasar Al Islami (Leftish Islam), in 1981. He used the term “left” because, related to academical image, the word means “struggle” and “criticisme”. The esence of al Yasar al Islami is to focus all potential resources to face the recent problems, which are imperialism, zionism, and capitalism (as external threads) and poverty, opression and setbacks (as internal threads).

“Al Yassar al Islami belongs to repressed, opressed, poor people, to defend the need of all mankind, to take over the right of poor people from rich people, to empower the weak and to make human being equal, and make no difference between us except related to takwa and piety” Hanafi writes.  

From 1930s, HOS Tjokroaminoto, figure of Sarekat Islam (the first organization that underlines nationalism, it had thousand members from many ethnical groups all over Indonesia) wrote a book titled “ Islam and Socialism”. Sarekat Islam later divided into two: Sarekat Islam Merah (Red SI) and putih (White SI). Red SI was closer to communism, and later many of its member joined Indonesian Communist Party. There is an Islamic figure, Haji Misbach,who combines Islam and Marxism to fight against colonialism. And in 1950s, Masjumi, the biggest Islamic party in 1955 election, had close relation with Partai Sosialis Indonesia.

In modern Indonesia, Islamic figure and leader of Islamic boarding school in Rembang,KH Mustafa Bisri, wrote a book titled  Saleh Sosial, Saleh Ritual (Social piety, ritual piety) which highlights the need to act rather than just being alone in a mosque. 

In Islam, there are many teachings about those matters above.  Many verses in Islam to protect, defense, and empower  poor and weak people, orphan children, both Dhuafa (the weak) and mustad’afin (the oppressed, forced to be weak).

For example, The Messenger Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) stated: “Be afraid, from the curse of the oppressed as there is no screen between his prayer and Allah”. In al-Qashas 5, God remind us: “And We wished to be Gracious to those who were being depressed in the land, to make them leaders (in Faith) and make them heirs”. Prophet Muhammad said: “The highest jihad is to talk the truth in front of dictator regime”. Ali bin Abi Thalib, the fourth caliph said: “If poverty is a man, I will kill him!”.  

Let’s  we reflect ourselves toward the saying of Muhammad below:  

Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one.” People asked, "O Allah's Apostle! It is all right to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?" The Prophet said, "By preventing him from oppressing others”.