Another
form of jihad “Jawi” students in the Middle East
Zacky Khairul Umam ;
The
writer, now pursuing a PhD in Islamic intellectual history at Freie
Universitaet Berlin, is conducting research on the foundations of modern
Sunni reformism in Istanbul
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JAKARTA
POST, 02 Mei 2014
Dozens
of Indonesian jihadists are taking up arms in the current Syrian war after
entering the battlefield through Turkey and Morocco. Indonesian diplomats in
Turkey have in particular expressed concern over the fact that the Indonesian
jihadists include two youths who go to religious schools in Kayseri, an
industrialized city in Central Anatolia.
The
number of the Indonesian jihadists is indeed minuscule compared to the
hundreds of Indonesian students currently pursuing academic degrees in many
universities in Turkey. Nobody, however, can predict the scope of these
students’ activities within the milieu of the war in Syria.
Some are
anxious that they could broaden the unseen network of Islamic militias in
Southeast Asia, beyond the borders of Indonesia and neighboring states.
Some of
them may decide not to return to their homelands, just to propagate
conservative culture and sow the seeds of jihad in its infamous
interpretation of holy wars against indeterminate infidels among Muslim
societies across Southeast Asia.
The
notion of jihad is contagious among young people, and is much more
influential than the creed to dedicate their corporal bodies to the
well-being of others.
We
cannot exclusively pin our hopes on Ankara or authorities in other states in
the Middle East to annihilate the growing number of jihadists from Southeast
Asia, despite the termination of funding from the Arabian Peninsula. We
should nonetheless pay close attention to their activities in our homeland.
We have
certainly failed to identify how they fund their activities, because even
after access to their financiers was cut off they are still mobilizing.
It is
possible that they have become more financially independent by setting up
certain businesses, taking advantage of the growing local market to finance
their activities.
It would
therefore be in the country’s best interests to improve the well-being of
Indonesian students in the Middle East by curbing the infectious movement of
jihadism.
The
Indonesian government often neglects Indonesian students in the region. There
is of course continuous minimal funding for students at Al-Azhar University
in Cairo and some other renowned institutions.
Our
government does not have sufficient funds for Indonesian students interested
in languages, cultures and anything from the Middle East, especially Islamic
tradition in Arabic, Persian and Turkish speaking countries.
The
majority of Indonesian students who pursue academic degrees in the region
receive aid from governments in the Middle East. Only Malaysians, perceived
as being financially capable, rarely require scholarships like Indonesians.
In 2012,
the number of Malaysian students in Cairo totaled 10,000, compared with 6,000
Indonesian students. This is possibly due to the economic welfare of
Malaysians, which has steadily improved from 1990s onward.
Thousands
more Indonesian students are scattered across the Arabian Peninsula, North
and East Africa as well as Turkey and Iran. Many excellent scholarship
programs have recently been provided by the Turkish government, in addition
to programs offered by private institutions like the Gulen movement, opening
up more opportunities for students from Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia.
In Iran the government offers few scholarships to Indonesian students, but
hundreds of Indonesians can study at Qom seminaries thanks to scholarships
from religious-based institutions in the country.
The
Indonesian government needs to monitor the number of students in the Middle
East cautiously. Not all of them of course need the government’s help, but in
many cases the limited funding they receive during their studies will justify
their acceptance of money from unknown sources that could organize certain
indoctrinated programs.
Expecting
scholarships from Western countries for study in the Middle East is unlikely
as they typically dismiss Middle East as a potential place to study. They frequently
view the region with partial images of religious bigotry.
In our
country, Middle Eastern universities have been criticized, the way many Arabs
or Turkish fellows have prejudices about our education system or culture in
general.
It has
been argued that government funding for Indonesian citizens studying in the
Middle East will ease the transfer of knowledge from the Middle East with
different points of view.
Middle
Eastern culture, history, geography, economy and politics are pivotal to
understanding our own history and future development.
The
government can in part control the mobility of ideas and movements from the
Middle East to Indonesia by funding programs intended to understand the long
history and culture of the two different societies.
They
perhaps can intensify ties between Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian
students and diplomats through cooperation in the fields of science,
technology, arts, music literature.
Other
vibrant aspects of the Middle East should be covered in our news and public
spheres in order to alter the one-dimensional portrayal of Salafi capture.
If we
are proud of our history, which has produced high caliber Jawi scholars, as
Southeast Asian or Indonesian intellectuals were called in the past, in the
Middle East, the same pride can be achieved by absorbing as many enlightening
perspectives as possible.
It
should be noted that Europe transferred knowledge from the Middle East in the
early modern period and now we learn about “modernity” from Europe.
So why shouldn’t we study the roots of the Enlightenment embedded in
Islamic scholarly tradition from classical to modern periods? Intellectual
jihad is the best way to defeat our ignorance. ●
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