Front Cover Iconography

The cover shows a statue of Indonesian founding fathers Soekarno and Muhammad Hatta, proclaiming the nation’s independence on 17 August, 1945 – establishing the new nation as a multi-religious and pluralistic state, while explicitly rejecting calls for an Islamic State.

Background text on the front and back covers is the actual text of the Independence proclamation, signed by Soekarno and Hatta.

Red and white are the colors of the Indonesian flag.

Eagle with spread wings, shield and motto is Indonesia’s national symbol (Garuda). The national motto, ‘Bhinneka Tunggal Ika,’ means ‘Unity in Diversity.’

Green symbol to the left, above Soekarno’s shoulder (featuring nine stars and an image of the globe) is that of the Nahdlatul Ulama – the world’s largest Muslim organization, with over 50 million followers.

Symbol to the right (above Muhammad Hatta’s shoulder) is that of the Muhammadiyah, the world’s second-largest Muslim organization.

Members of the extremist group Front for the Defense of Islam depicted “beneath the feet” of Indonesia’s founding fathers, Soekarno/Hatta.

Translation of Text on the Back Cover

“Extremist transnational organizations in Indonesia consist of groups that operate both within and outside the institutions of government, and mutually support one another in pursuit of a common agenda. The clear and present danger they pose stems from their identification of Islam with Wahhabi/Muslim Brotherhood ideology, which is extremely virulent and effective at deceiving the Muslim community at large. Extremists are systematically infiltrating all sectors of Indonesian society, especially moderate Islamic mass organizations, educational institutions and the government. Under the pretext of defending and promoting Islam, they are waging cultural genocide, in order to dominate and rule Indonesia. Their efforts to formalize religion (i.e., Islam) are merely a pretext for their true agenda, which is the seizure of political power.

“In response to these radical movements, the Muhammadiyah Central Board published Muhammadiyah Central Board Decree Number 149/Kep/I.0/B/2006, to save the organization from infiltration by extremist political parties such as the Muslim-Brotherhood-affiliated PKS. The Nahdlatul Ulama has also issued fatwas declaring that an Islamic Caliphate has no theological basis, either in the Qur’an or the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. The NU Central Board has further issued public warnings that transnational extremist ideology has the potential to rip Indonesia apart, and destroy the Muslim community’s own practice of religion.

“This conflict between moderate Islamic organizations and radical movements is a manifestation of the struggle between al-nafs al-muthmainnah (tranquil souls devoted to God) and those dominated by passion and self-interest. A shallow and limited knowledge of Islam prevents those dominated by ego and passion (i.e., the radicals) from distinguishing between washilah (the path) and ghâyah (the goal), and causes them to demonize Qur’anic verses that do not conform to their own ideology. Such behavior reflects the loss of all reasoning ability in the field of religion.

“This book, which is the product of over two years’ research, describes the origins, ideology and agenda of extremist transnational movements that operate in Indonesia, and recommends building a broad-based movement to confront and defeat Islamist extremism in a manner that is both peaceful and morally and socially responsible.”

“The authors of this book are intolerant of their fellow Muslims, as evidenced by their unrelenting attacks, stigmatizing their fellow Muslims as close-minded literalists, in addition to other pejorative abuse. On the other hand, while they themselves are incapable of behaving in a tolerant manner towards their fellow Muslims, they call for tolerance towards infidels…. Indeed, they reinterpret Qur’anic verses and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad which command [us] to wage war against them….”

~ Syabab (Youth), a webzine and media production company affiliated with the extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir

From the Epilogue

“Never Cease Learning”

by Kyai Haji A. Mustofa Bisri

“If Muslims were all driven by a passion to learn, and to listen to others, their understanding of Islam would become progressively more wise and complete. As a consequence, they would not seek to reduce Islam to a mere ideology or rule of state. They would realize that Islam is too great to be boxed into a narrow ideology, or confined by the limits of state laws. For that reason, the vital insight contained in this book is the struggle (jihad) to constantly inspire every person to learn without ceasing; to oppose ignorance; to inspire all people to open their hearts and minds to humanity; and the struggle (jihad) to free every man, woman and child on earth from ideological and dogmatic strictures which have long prevented them from understanding the glorious teachings of religion, and instead confined their comprehension to those elements of the message that they can squeeze into a narrow box of their own or others’ construction.”

From Dr. A. Syafii Maarif:

“The shari’a we know today is the result of ijtihad, or centuries-old human reasoning, and thus it is time-bound. Consequently, a huge project such as creating an Islamic state is extremely difficult, if not impossible, without rethinking the very basis of our ideas about shari’a.

“For those who want to think honestly, and seriously, the project of an Islamic state is not a simple one… Small, narrow minds cannot provide a solution as to what constitutes an Islamic state or government… We need big, broad minds to understand the Qur’an’s fundamental message, which is one of mercy and grace for all mankind, not oppression or violence… This book is a serious effort to observe the socio-political reality of Indonesian Islam… Although its title is challenging and some Muslims may not like it, LibForAll is publishing this book not to create enemies, but to develop a positive, constructive dialogue, both among Muslims and between Muslims and non-Muslims.”