PrintOver 2,000 leaders of “Muhammadiyah,” the second largest Muslim organization in Indonesia, with about 40 million members, are meeting these days in Yogyacarta for the 46th Congress celebrating 100 years of foundation and in order to elect new leadership.
The delegates chose the organization's Executive Council, composed of 13 members. The most votes went to Din Syamsuddin, who has led the organization for the last five years, with 1,915 votes. Din therefore remains the favorite for election as President of Muhammadiyah for 2010-2015.
In the discussions during the Congress, two currents appeared to emerge in the organization: the approach proposed by Din Syamsuddin, the outgoing president, is rather political in nature and, through him, the Muhammadiyah has also earned a space of credibility at an international level. A part of the movement, however, is in favor of restoring a strictly religious line that would overshadow the political one.
At the local level, Muhammadiyah appears to be under the influence of radical Islam: the recent rulling against smoking, last May, was a sign, while regarding the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) violence in Bekasi, the Muhammadiyah has preferred not to send out an official statement. Bekasi, a suburb of Jakarta, has seen a recent wave of attacks by FPI against Christians. Indonesians from various areas of the archipelago are thronging to the area in search of work and are bringing with them non-Muslim practices and faiths.
According to the well-known moderate Muslim leader Azyumardi Azra, Director of the School of Advanced Studies of the Islamic State "Syarif Hidayatullah" in Jakarta, the "Muhammadiyah" has to be vigilant about attempts of infiltration by radical Islamists (prone to "Sharia" and "Islamic purity") in its ranks. "The future of Indonesia is moderate Islam and it is a duty of the Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah to guarantee that," he said. Many commentators agreed, noting that the organization must remain a point of reference for moderate and pluralist Indonesian Islam.
The Muhammadiyah was founded in 1912. Its main activities are religious, educational and social. It has founded more than 5,700 schools in Indonesia, which are also attended by non-Muslim students, and 26 universities among the provinces in Indonesia. It also operates several clinics and charities.
RSS