Inez Mahony
March 02, 2008 11:00pm
WHAT comes to mind when you see the words "Islam" and "Indonesia"?Terrorism? Violence? Bombings?
The Muslim stereotype as one group of anti-Western fanatics, supportive of terrorism, is simplistic and outdated. Yet this image is persistently presented in the international media. The Indonesian media is also guilty of failing to reflect the diversity of its Islamic community and too often giving space to fundamentalist views.
But things are changing. Now Indonesian Muslim organisations, journalists and editors are making a concerted effort to represent the majority of Indonesian Muslims and promote the core values of Indonesians and Islam: peace, harmony and pluralism.
As a PhD student, my research interests lie in media representations of Indonesian Islam. I recently had a chance to discuss this issue with journalists and editors of mainstream media in Indonesia, as well as members of the Press Council and the Association of Independent Journalists.
I was in Indonesia with a group of journalism students undertaking a six-week journalism program through the Australian Consortium for In-Country Indonesian Studies.
We all had internships with various Indonesian and foreign media, such as
Jakarta Post, Antara, Metro TV, ABC and Reuters. I experienced the differences and similarities between Indonesian and Australian journalism and managed to get a snapshot of how Indonesian Islam has been represented in Indonesian media.
The general view in Indonesia is that all true Muslims know terrorism and intolerance have nothing to do with Islam. Unlike Australian media, these issues are treated separately in Indonesian media.
Jakarta Post editor Endy Bayuni said: "We are careful not to label these groups and never refer to 'Islamic terrorism' because it is a contradiction in terms."
Republika editor Nasihin Masha explained Islamic doctrine doesn't permit terrorism. "Just because the terrorists are Muslims doesn't mean that most Muslims agree with them."
When the September 11, 2001, attacks occurred, Indonesians were shocked and sympathetic towards the US. Then the "war on terror" rhetoric wrapped a giant sticky band around terrorists and Muslims, declaring a war between Western and Islamic civilisations.
Kompas editor-in-chief Suryopratomo said the rhetoric became too personal for the media in Indonesia. Some media were outspoken in opposition of US policy, building on the emotion and personal confrontation that many Indonesians felt at the time. But, as with commercial media worldwide, Suryopratomo said that was mainly to help circulation figures. Islamic publications such as
Sabili and
Republika felt they "must support the Islamic voice". Many Islamic hardline views began to dominate the media, because strong emotions sell stories.
Indonesians are sceptical of authority,
Tempo editor Bambang Harymurti explained.
"Many thought there could be a US conspiracy to discredit Islam," he said.
"They're used to such behaviour from authorities under the New Order regime. To believe, Indonesians need to see proof of accusations."
The proof came when the Bali bombers were caught and confessed. This was evidence of terrorists in Indonesia, carrying out attacks in the name of Islam. It brought about a big change in attitudes, which began to be reflected in media reports.
Endy Bayuni said members of the Editor's Club had regular meetings to discuss how to handle the image of Islam and attitudes to US policy and war on terror rhetoric. "We are united in promotion of responsible journalism, to avoid polarisation between the West and Islam. For example, we urged religious leaders of all persuasions to agree to unite in condemning terrorism and condemning the US invasion of Iraq as a crime against humanity, rather than a war against Islam."
Ade Armando, editor of
Madina magazine, said Indonesians were fed up with hearing about the violent actions and fundamental views of a few Islamic organisations in the media.
He said this overkill had caused most Islamic groups to yearn for the days of peace and harmony.
Ade is one of many journalists and editors leading the push to promote "new Islam", which is actually Indonesia's traditional practice of Islam.
I spoke to Ade at a workshop he was helping facilitate at Paramadina University, Jakarta. The "Muslims are Not a Threat to World Peace" workshop, funded by the British Embassy, was especially run for journalists and members of moderate Islamic organisations. Its aim was to improve the image of Islam through co-operation between these groups. The participants learnt the importance of moderate Muslim voices in the media and how to promote the traditional values of tolerance, harmony and pluralism that the majority of Indonesians share.
Let's hope this image of Indonesian Islam becomes the norm everywhere.
Inez Mahony is a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney.
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