5 In my capacity as Secretary General of the Department of Religious Affairs, I attended the funeral ceremony of Mukti Ali. Mukti Ali's course was not only taken by the students of the Ushuluddin Faculty, but also by the students of the Tarbiyah Faculty. Mas Mansur at UII, Mukti Ali also studied Islam privately with him at his home.
The Study Purna Sarjana, which introduced Mukti Ali, was actually the embryo of the Program Pasca Sarjana. President Suharto appointed Mukti Ali as Minister of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia in 1971. Having become Minister of Religious Affairs, Mukti Ali sent a large number of IAIN lectures to study at the Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University, Montreal.
It is in this context that the role, contribution and legacy of Mukti Ali as Minister of Religious Affairs must be considered. While serving as Minister of Religious Affairs, Mukti Ali criticized the weaknesses of IAINs. However, President Soeharto reappointed Mukti Ali as a member of the Supreme Advisory Council (DPA, Dewan Pertimbangan Agung).
Djam'annuri, one of Mukti Ali's students at the Faculty of Ushuluddin, IAIN (now UIN) Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta, was the editor of the book and is a professor of the comparative study of religions at the Faculty of Ushuluddin.
Academic Works, Ideas, and Thoughts
To illustrate the content of one of the books, Mukti Ali in Modern Islamic Thought in Indonesia discusses the Muhammadiyah as a Muslim modernist movement, but before discussing its role and contribution as a modernist movement, he outlines, among other things, the role of Jamaluddin Al-Afghani, Muhammad Abduh and Rashid Ridha who preached modernist ideas in the nineteenth century. In Gibb's original words, objective number 4 reads, "the defense of Islam against European influences and Christian attacks."24 I agree with Mukti Ali's view that the objectives of Abduh's reform program in Egypt are applicable to those of the Muhammadiyah Reform Movement in Indonesia. Given these facts, Mukti Ali is correct when he says that the goals of Abduh's reform movement in Egypt are generally applicable to those of the Muhammadiyah in Indonesia.
Mukti Ali also discusses the relationship between the state and religion in Indonesia which became a real issue in the 1970s. In a secular state, religion is a private matter and has no place in the public space. In his opinion, Indonesia is neither a theocratic nor a secular state; Indonesia is a Pancasila state in which all Indonesian people believe in the One and Only God as expressed in the Pancasila's first principle.27 "In the Pancasila state, God is alive, not dead," Mukti Ali said very confidently .
The lives of the Indonesian people are based on religious moral values and spiritual principles which are important elements of 'the belief in the One and Only God' as stated in the Pancasila. He emphasized that these religious moral values and spiritual foundations are the core values for the Indonesian people in the implementation of development programs in its effort to achieve prosperity and happiness.28. The five pillars of the Pancasila are: belief in the One God; civilized humanity; unity of Indonesia; democracy; and social justice for all Indonesian people.
In the uncritical pursuit of the latter, important values may be sacrificed for the former. It is clear that Mukti Ali had a clear vision and a deep understanding of the state of Indonesian society which is deeply rooted in religious moral values and spiritual meanings of life. Development is not only concerned with material things but also with spiritual matters which cannot be overlooked in the development process.
He emphasized the use of a pluralistic strategy of change and liberation in the process of development and modernization in Indonesia.31 This was Mukti Ali's answer to the question of development and modernization in the 1970s. As a scholar, Mukti Ali used an approach he called "scientific-cum-doctrinal"32, which combines normative and empirical approaches in the study of Islam. Therefore, the normative approach should be combined and integrated with the empirical approach by considering and understanding the historical, social and cultural environment in the study and analysis of Islam in the life of society.
Interreligious Dialogue, Tolerance, and Harmony
The Christian preachers consciously distort the verses of the Koran for their propaganda purpose. In the eyes of the government, this matter should be resolved immediately so that inter-religious tolerance and harmony can be maintained. Disharmonious relations between religious communities can disrupt development programs while harmonious relations will contribute to the success of the implementation of these programs.
42 Mukti Ali, "Orang Yang Sudah Beragama Jangan Menjadi Sasaran Penyiaran Agama" in his Agama dan Pembangunan, p. 42. . at the Council of World Religions is in fact in accordance with the content of the regulation of the Minister of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia no. 70/1978. Muslims also reacted strongly against the building of churches by Christians in some parts of the country. The construction of churches in the predominantly Muslim area naturally leads to unfavorable reaction from the local residents.
The real cause of the accident was the building of a church in a predominantly Muslim area. This kind of calamity really has a far-reaching consequence and has inflamed the mood of the Muslims.43. The Minister of Religious Affairs and the Minister of the Interior issued joint order No. 01/Ber/Mdn-Mag/1969 that the construction of a religious house must be secured approval from the head of the region and from the local population in the area where a house of worship would be built.
In addition to these conditions, the construction of a place of worship by a particular religious community should be discussed with the head of the regional office of the Department of Religious Affairs and, if necessary, with the leaders of socio-religious organizations. Tensions and conflicts between Muslims and Christians took the form of the burning of a church by Muslims in Meulaboh, Aceh, in the 1970s. Almost at the same time, the Muslims strongly opposed the planning of the international meeting of the Council of World Churches to take place in Indonesia, and managed to reject it.
46 In my capacity as Secretary General of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, I was included as a member of the Conflict Resolution Team organized by the Coordinating Minister of Social Affairs (Jusuf Kalla). 47 As a representative of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and in my capacity as an official witness, I have signed the peace agreement document. 48 As secretary general of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, I made an official visit to Pontianak and witnessed firsthand Madurese houses and properties being burned and destroyed by the Dayaks.
The proponents of syncretism believe that by believing that all religions are the same, people of different religions can be harmonized and united in a way that avoids tension and conflict between them. In doing so, people of different religions come to agree to believe and subscribe to this newly created religion, as they feel that elements of their religion's doctrine have been incorporated and integrated into this new religion.
Conclusion
For you it is your religion and for me it is my religion",55 which is the theological basis of religious tolerance in Islam. There should be no interference with other religions; each and every community is free to choose a religion, because religious freedom is one of the basic human rights. I believe that Mukti Ali's vision, views and ideas on interfaith dialogue, tolerance and harmony directly or indirectly inspired and influenced young scholars and intellectuals in promoting and defending the cause.
Scholars such as Djohan Efendi, Nurcholish Madjid, Dawam Raharjo, Syu'bah Asa, Abdurrahman Wahid, Azyumardi Azra and others, some of whom participated in the small group discussions held at Mukti Ali's home in the 1970s, are intellectuals, which continue the ideas and efforts of Mukti Ali. That is to say, Mukti Ali is physically dead, but he is still alive in spirit, ideas and efforts to promote, strengthen and maintain interfaith dialogue, tolerance and harmony. above, Mukti Ali outlined five approaches to achieving his goal. In particular, Mukti Ali supports the fifth ie. agreeing in disagreement that fits the Indonesian context to date.
Bagaimana pendekatan Isra' Mi'radj kepada Nabi Besar Muhammad S.A.W. Islam dan ilmu pengetahuan), Jogjakarta: Jajasan Nida, 1969. Etika keagamaan dalam pembentukan kepribadian bangsa dan pemberantasan kekerasan dari aspek agama Islam, Jogjakarta: Jajasan Nida, 1969. Masalah komunikasi kegiatan ilmiah dalam konteks nasional Pembangunan (bersama Kelompok Keagamaan), Jogjakarta : Jajajan Nida, 1971.
Pemberontakan Ahmad 'Urabi atau Perjuangan Konstitusi di Mesir dan Gerakan Imam Mahdi di Sudan, Jogjakarta: Jajasan Nida, 1971. Azra, Azyumardi dan Saiful Umam dkk. eds), Menteri Agama Republik Indonesia: Biografi Sosial Politik, Jakarta: Badan Penelitian dan Pengembangan Keagamaan Kementerian Agama bekerjasama dengan PPIM-IAIN Syarif Hidayatullah, 1989. Singgih, “Kontekstualisasi Keagamaan dalam Pemikiran Mukti Ali, Disertasi diserahkan ke Pascasarjana UIN Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta, 2012.
Departemen Agama Republik Indonesia, Kompilasi Peraturan Perundang-undangan Kerukunan Umat Beragama, Jakarta: Proyek Peningkatan Kerukunan Umat Beragama dan Pembangunan Umat Beragama Departemen Agama Republik Indonesia, 1998.
