Novia D. Rulistia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | On The Shelves | Mon, July 13 2015, 10:16 AM
Muslim intellectual Ahmad Syafii Maarif has endlessly encouraged pluralism and peaceful coexistence among mankind through his writings and criticism.
Now 80, the former leader of the country’s second-largest Islamic organization, Muhammadiyah, continues to dedicate his time and energy to the betterment of the country, as he leads the independent team tasked with advising President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on many issues, including the recent standoff between the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the National Police.
His ideas and teachings have been compiled and evaluated in Muazin Bangsa dari Makkah Darat: Biografi Intelektual Ahmad Syafii Maarif (The Nation’s Muazin from Makkah Darat: The Intellectual Biography of Ahmad Syafii Maarif), released to celebrate his 80th birthday this year.
In general, a muazin is someone who is a reminder, while in Islam, a muazin is a person who performs the Muslim call to prayer in Arabic. While Makkah Darat is the historical nickname for his birthplace in Sampur Kudus, West Sumatra.
Maarif Institute executive director Fajar Riza Ul Haq said the book’s title was inspired by the writings of Alois A. Nugroho, one of the book’s contributors who named Maarif the nation’s morality muazin.
“Buya Syafii never asked for this book, but we in the Maarif Institute wanted to express our gratitude and support for his dedication to this country through this book,” Fajar said during the book launch at Bentara Budaya Jakarta in Jakarta.
“It’s an effort to record Maarif’s intellectual history that has been developed in this society,” he said.
The launch was attended by a wide spectrum of society, from Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, interim KPK chairman Taufiequrachman Ruki, People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Zulkifli Hasan, historian Anhar Gonggong, philosopher and priest Franz Magnis-Suseno as well as activists, journalists and teenagers — indicating how his thoughts have touched and are respected by many people.
Fifteen scholars have contributed to the 429-page book, namely: Amin Abdullah, Noorhaidi Hasan, Munim A Sirry, Hilman Latief, Akhmad Sahal, Alois A. Nugroho, Ahmad Najib Burhani, Ahmad Norma Permata, Rahmawati Husein, Sudirman Nasir, Neng Dara Afifah, Muhammad Ali, Sumanto Al Qurtuby, Abdul Munir Mulkhan dan William Frederick, who have elaborated in detail on Maarif’s thoughts.
The book’s editor, Ahmad Fuad Fanani, said Muazin Bangsa was initially planned for release in 2011 to celebrate Maarif’s 76th birthday, but it had not been easy for the team to get it together.
“It took four years to complete the book, but the time is also good now as this year is Buya’s 80th birthday,” he said.
A discussion on the book, published by the Maarif Institute and Serambi, also took place during the launch, featuring Alois; State Islamic University (UIN) rector Komaruddin Hidayat; and Rahmawati disaster risk mitigation professor at the Yogyakarta Muhammadiyah University.
In the discussion, Alois, the professor of political communication ethics from Atmajaya Catholic University, highlighted Maarif’s commitment to upholding the value of ethics in society.
“He has never tired of showing and reminding us about what’s right and wrong. In this country, we need a muazin who can explain right from wrong to anyone without exception,” he said.
“His writings are always sharp, but there’s no hatred in them.”
Alois said that for the book, he had divided Maarif’s thoughts into four categories to help readers grasp the gist of his teachings.
First are the ethics of political democracy that focus on civic life; second are the ethics of politicians and bureaucrats that highlight his call for moral integrity among politicians; third are the social ethics that respect pluralism and equality in all aspects of life; the last are global ethics that center on his thoughts on upholding international humanism.
Meanwhile, Rahmawati delves deeper into Maarif’s stance on environmental exploitation.
She said that although Maarif did not produce a lot of writing about the environment, he had pointed out that moral issues were behind environmental destruction.
“Buya Syafii argues that greed has triggered the destruction; environmental exploitation in the regions takes place because of the corruption in local government, and Buya is loud and clear in addressing this issue,” Rahmawati said.
The book also talks about his pivotal years when his life took a turn from being a hardliner into a pluralist who always emphasized tolerance.
Komaruddin Hidayat said Maarif developed his intellectualism during his studies at Chicago University in the US, where he found out how different Islam in the West was from the Middle East.
“I believe if he went to Egypt instead of the US, he wouldn’t be like he is today,” he said.
“With his knowledge, experience of globalization in the West, and his leadership of Muhammadiyah, he is very humble — that’s what makes him a charismatic, respected person.”
Maarif studied at Mu’allimin Yogyakarta, an Islamic boarding school run by Muhammadiyah.
Like many of his Muhammadiyah fellows and other intellectualized Muslims, including the late Nurcholish Madjid, he was infatuated with the Islamic party Masyumi, thinking that he was a hardliner fighting for the idea of creating an Islamic state, but never supported violence.
He then brought that idea to the US, but discarded it after encountering Pakistani thinker Fazlur Rahman — the most influential person in the development of Maarif’s Islamic and political thought — who was also a lecturer at Chicago University.
It was during his discussions with Rahman that he was able to leave the path of fundamentalism, which was filled with fiery spirit but lacked deep, contemplative thoughts.
“This book peels every layer of my thoughts. I have come to realize, am I still substantial enough? Can I still go on? I don’t know,” Maarif said.
“I only hope this nation can always survive.”
- See more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/13/delving-deeper-ahmad-syafii-maarif-s-thoughts.html#sthash.YzaWCoBi.dpuf
Muslim
intellectual Ahmad Syafii Maarif has endlessly encouraged pluralism and
peaceful coexistence among mankind through his writings and criticism.
Now 80, the former leader of the country’s second-largest Islamic organization, Muhammadiyah, continues to dedicate his time and energy to the betterment of the country, as he leads the independent team tasked with advising President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on many issues, including the recent standoff between the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the National Police.
His ideas and teachings have been compiled and evaluated in Muazin Bangsa dari Makkah Darat: Biografi Intelektual Ahmad Syafii Maarif (The Nation’s Muazin from Makkah Darat: The Intellectual Biography of Ahmad Syafii Maarif), released to celebrate his 80th birthday this year.
In general, a muazin is someone who is a reminder, while in Islam, a muazin is a person who performs the Muslim call to prayer in Arabic. While Makkah Darat is the historical nickname for his birthplace in Sampur Kudus, West Sumatra.
Maarif Institute executive director Fajar Riza Ul Haq said the book’s title was inspired by the writings of Alois A. Nugroho, one of the book’s contributors who named Maarif the nation’s morality muazin.
“Buya Syafii never asked for this book, but we in the Maarif Institute wanted to express our gratitude and support for his dedication to this country through this book,” Fajar said during the book launch at Bentara Budaya Jakarta in Jakarta.
“It’s an effort to record Maarif’s intellectual history that has been developed in this society,” he said.
The launch was attended by a wide spectrum of society, from Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, interim KPK chairman Taufiequrachman Ruki, People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Zulkifli Hasan, historian Anhar Gonggong, philosopher and priest Franz Magnis-Suseno as well as activists, journalists and teenagers — indicating how his thoughts have touched and are respected by many people.
Fifteen scholars have contributed to the 429-page book, namely: Amin Abdullah, Noorhaidi Hasan, Munim A Sirry, Hilman Latief, Akhmad Sahal, Alois A. Nugroho, Ahmad Najib Burhani, Ahmad Norma Permata, Rahmawati Husein, Sudirman Nasir, Neng Dara Afifah, Muhammad Ali, Sumanto Al Qurtuby, Abdul Munir Mulkhan dan William Frederick, who have elaborated in detail on Maarif’s thoughts.
The book’s editor, Ahmad Fuad Fanani, said Muazin Bangsa was initially planned for release in 2011 to celebrate Maarif’s 76th birthday, but it had not been easy for the team to get it together.
“It took four years to complete the book, but the time is also good now as this year is Buya’s 80th birthday,” he said.
A discussion on the book, published by the Maarif Institute and Serambi, also took place during the launch, featuring Alois; State Islamic University (UIN) rector Komaruddin Hidayat; and Rahmawati disaster risk mitigation professor at the Yogyakarta Muhammadiyah University.
In the discussion, Alois, the professor of political communication ethics from Atmajaya Catholic University, highlighted Maarif’s commitment to upholding the value of ethics in society.
“He has never tired of showing and reminding us about what’s right and wrong. In this country, we need a muazin who can explain right from wrong to anyone without exception,” he said.
“His writings are always sharp, but there’s no hatred in them.”
Alois said that for the book, he had divided Maarif’s thoughts into four categories to help readers grasp the gist of his teachings.
First are the ethics of political democracy that focus on civic life; second are the ethics of politicians and bureaucrats that highlight his call for moral integrity among politicians; third are the social ethics that respect pluralism and equality in all aspects of life; the last are global ethics that center on his thoughts on upholding international humanism.
Meanwhile, Rahmawati delves deeper into Maarif’s stance on environmental exploitation.
She said that although Maarif did not produce a lot of writing about the environment, he had pointed out that moral issues were behind environmental destruction.
“Buya Syafii argues that greed has triggered the destruction; environmental exploitation in the regions takes place because of the corruption in local government, and Buya is loud and clear in addressing this issue,” Rahmawati said.
The book also talks about his pivotal years when his life took a turn from being a hardliner into a pluralist who always emphasized tolerance.
Komaruddin Hidayat said Maarif developed his intellectualism during his studies at Chicago University in the US, where he found out how different Islam in the West was from the Middle East.
“I believe if he went to Egypt instead of the US, he wouldn’t be like he is today,” he said.
“With his knowledge, experience of globalization in the West, and his leadership of Muhammadiyah, he is very humble — that’s what makes him a charismatic, respected person.”
Maarif studied at Mu’allimin Yogyakarta, an Islamic boarding school run by Muhammadiyah.
Like many of his Muhammadiyah fellows and other intellectualized Muslims, including the late Nurcholish Madjid, he was infatuated with the Islamic party Masyumi, thinking that he was a hardliner fighting for the idea of creating an Islamic state, but never supported violence.
He then brought that idea to the US, but discarded it after encountering Pakistani thinker Fazlur Rahman — the most influential person in the development of Maarif’s Islamic and political thought — who was also a lecturer at Chicago University.
It was during his discussions with Rahman that he was able to leave the path of fundamentalism, which was filled with fiery spirit but lacked deep, contemplative thoughts.
“This book peels every layer of my thoughts. I have come to realize, am I still substantial enough? Can I still go on? I don’t know,” Maarif said.
“I only hope this nation can always survive.”
- See more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/13/delving-deeper-ahmad-syafii-maarif-s-thoughts.html#sthash.YzaWCoBi.dpuf
Now 80, the former leader of the country’s second-largest Islamic organization, Muhammadiyah, continues to dedicate his time and energy to the betterment of the country, as he leads the independent team tasked with advising President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on many issues, including the recent standoff between the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the National Police.
His ideas and teachings have been compiled and evaluated in Muazin Bangsa dari Makkah Darat: Biografi Intelektual Ahmad Syafii Maarif (The Nation’s Muazin from Makkah Darat: The Intellectual Biography of Ahmad Syafii Maarif), released to celebrate his 80th birthday this year.
In general, a muazin is someone who is a reminder, while in Islam, a muazin is a person who performs the Muslim call to prayer in Arabic. While Makkah Darat is the historical nickname for his birthplace in Sampur Kudus, West Sumatra.
Maarif Institute executive director Fajar Riza Ul Haq said the book’s title was inspired by the writings of Alois A. Nugroho, one of the book’s contributors who named Maarif the nation’s morality muazin.
“Buya Syafii never asked for this book, but we in the Maarif Institute wanted to express our gratitude and support for his dedication to this country through this book,” Fajar said during the book launch at Bentara Budaya Jakarta in Jakarta.
“It’s an effort to record Maarif’s intellectual history that has been developed in this society,” he said.
The launch was attended by a wide spectrum of society, from Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, interim KPK chairman Taufiequrachman Ruki, People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Zulkifli Hasan, historian Anhar Gonggong, philosopher and priest Franz Magnis-Suseno as well as activists, journalists and teenagers — indicating how his thoughts have touched and are respected by many people.
Fifteen scholars have contributed to the 429-page book, namely: Amin Abdullah, Noorhaidi Hasan, Munim A Sirry, Hilman Latief, Akhmad Sahal, Alois A. Nugroho, Ahmad Najib Burhani, Ahmad Norma Permata, Rahmawati Husein, Sudirman Nasir, Neng Dara Afifah, Muhammad Ali, Sumanto Al Qurtuby, Abdul Munir Mulkhan dan William Frederick, who have elaborated in detail on Maarif’s thoughts.
The book’s editor, Ahmad Fuad Fanani, said Muazin Bangsa was initially planned for release in 2011 to celebrate Maarif’s 76th birthday, but it had not been easy for the team to get it together.
“It took four years to complete the book, but the time is also good now as this year is Buya’s 80th birthday,” he said.
A discussion on the book, published by the Maarif Institute and Serambi, also took place during the launch, featuring Alois; State Islamic University (UIN) rector Komaruddin Hidayat; and Rahmawati disaster risk mitigation professor at the Yogyakarta Muhammadiyah University.
In the discussion, Alois, the professor of political communication ethics from Atmajaya Catholic University, highlighted Maarif’s commitment to upholding the value of ethics in society.
“He has never tired of showing and reminding us about what’s right and wrong. In this country, we need a muazin who can explain right from wrong to anyone without exception,” he said.
“His writings are always sharp, but there’s no hatred in them.”
Alois said that for the book, he had divided Maarif’s thoughts into four categories to help readers grasp the gist of his teachings.
First are the ethics of political democracy that focus on civic life; second are the ethics of politicians and bureaucrats that highlight his call for moral integrity among politicians; third are the social ethics that respect pluralism and equality in all aspects of life; the last are global ethics that center on his thoughts on upholding international humanism.
Meanwhile, Rahmawati delves deeper into Maarif’s stance on environmental exploitation.
She said that although Maarif did not produce a lot of writing about the environment, he had pointed out that moral issues were behind environmental destruction.
“Buya Syafii argues that greed has triggered the destruction; environmental exploitation in the regions takes place because of the corruption in local government, and Buya is loud and clear in addressing this issue,” Rahmawati said.
The book also talks about his pivotal years when his life took a turn from being a hardliner into a pluralist who always emphasized tolerance.
Komaruddin Hidayat said Maarif developed his intellectualism during his studies at Chicago University in the US, where he found out how different Islam in the West was from the Middle East.
“I believe if he went to Egypt instead of the US, he wouldn’t be like he is today,” he said.
“With his knowledge, experience of globalization in the West, and his leadership of Muhammadiyah, he is very humble — that’s what makes him a charismatic, respected person.”
Maarif studied at Mu’allimin Yogyakarta, an Islamic boarding school run by Muhammadiyah.
Like many of his Muhammadiyah fellows and other intellectualized Muslims, including the late Nurcholish Madjid, he was infatuated with the Islamic party Masyumi, thinking that he was a hardliner fighting for the idea of creating an Islamic state, but never supported violence.
He then brought that idea to the US, but discarded it after encountering Pakistani thinker Fazlur Rahman — the most influential person in the development of Maarif’s Islamic and political thought — who was also a lecturer at Chicago University.
It was during his discussions with Rahman that he was able to leave the path of fundamentalism, which was filled with fiery spirit but lacked deep, contemplative thoughts.
“This book peels every layer of my thoughts. I have come to realize, am I still substantial enough? Can I still go on? I don’t know,” Maarif said.
“I only hope this nation can always survive.”
- See more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/13/delving-deeper-ahmad-syafii-maarif-s-thoughts.html#sthash.YzaWCoBi.dpuf
Novia
D. Rulistia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | On The Shelves | Mon, July 13
2015, 10:16 AM - See more at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/13/delving-deeper-ahmad-syafii-maarif-s-thoughts.html#sthash.YzaWCoBi.dpuf
Novia
D. Rulistia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | On The Shelves | Mon, July 13
2015, 10:16 AM - See more at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/13/delving-deeper-ahmad-syafii-maarif-s-thoughts.html#sthash.YzaWCoBi.dpuf
Novia
D. Rulistia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | On The Shelves | Mon, July 13
2015, 10:16 AM - See more at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/13/delving-deeper-ahmad-syafii-maarif-s-thoughts.html#sthash.YzaWCoBi.dpuf
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