Had Picu Polemic, 'Kristen Muhammadiyah' Book Is The Best Practice Tolerance In Indonesia

Christian bookwriter Muhammadiyah Fajar Riza Ul Haq handed over his book to participants "Muslim Book Review Muhammadiya: Managing Religious Plurality in Education"/ANTARA

JAKARTA - The book entitled 'Kristen Muhammadiyah', the latest edition by Fajar Riza Ul Haq, had sparked a polemic in the digital world. Some even accused the author of being heretical. Of course, this accusation does not stand on the contents of the book itself. As a figure who has been active since he was a teenager in Muhammadiyah, as reported by Antara, quoted on Sunday, June 18, Fajar saw an important and unique contribution by this mass organization in Muslim minority areas. For example, the presence of a number of Muhammadiyah universities in eastern Indonesia, the majority of whose students are non-Muslims. Likewise, clinics or hospitals that serve more non-Muslims. This phenomenon was photographed and researched by Fajar, the man who was born in Sukabumi, West Java, 1979, then described as a book entitled Kristen Muhammadiyah in 2009. Fajar in his book wants to convey a message to the public about the best practice tolerance developed by Muhammadiyah through his business charities. So, the term Christian Muhammadiyah which is also popular with the acronym Krismuha, is not a synkretism, but just a unique naming of tolerance. Fajar conveyed this statement during the book review in Sukabumi. However, the new term - especially those related to religion - is sometimes misunderstood due to the lack of complete information about certain terms, concepts, or thoughts. Likewise with the term Krismuha. Perhaps many have not read books, whose first edition was published 14 years ago. Therefore, the book Kristen Muhammadiyah was the main topic or trending topic on various TikTok and Twitter social media. Various criticisms, blasphemy, and insults were sent to Fajar Riza Ul Haq. There are internet residents who judge the book teaching a new deviant sect. In fact, not a few internet residents have accused the book of being a synkretism or mixing of elements and conflicting beliefs directed by heretical sect groups. There are other internet residents, especially those with short ages - when the book is reprinted and circulated to the market - immediately gave oblique comments on the book. It could be that the blasphemer only reads the title. Without reading its contents, people will easily interpret it differently, far from the text content and message of tolerance that the author wants to convey. Considering the importance and relevance of the book that discusses data and facts about tolerance between religious believers, the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture previously held a review of Krismuha's book. In the book, no religious teachings were found that were deviant or synkretized. The author mostly tells the condition of the world of education in frontier, remote, and underdeveloped areas (3-T) such as some areas in eastern Indonesia. Fajar Riza Ul Haq shared his experience of coming directly to several 3-T areas to see the conditions of the world of education. It turns out that the presence of Muhammadiyah educational institutions in Muslim minority areas really helps residents to get education in the midst of limited schools. In the book, the writer tells the story where many non-Muslims study in Muhammadiyah. In fact, many graduates become regional officials. Christians and Catholics who studied at Muhammadiyah educational institutions said they were proud to have attended an organization owned by KH Ahmad Dahlan. The Christian book Muhammadiyah was first published in 2009 after the author for 1 year (2008) conducted research on educational conditions in the 3-T region. However, at that time the world of social media was not as massive as it is today. Internet access is still limited so that when it was first published, this book did not trigger a polemic like it is now. Within Muhammadiyah, the term Krismuha has been around for a long time, referring to the meaning as conveyed by Fajar Riza Ul Haq. Fajar admitted that at that time, his book was only circulating among certain circles. Unlike the current conditions when social media almost touched everyone and the internet easily accessed. Therefore, when the book was reprinted for the second time around May 2023, the term Christian Muhammadiyah immediately became a discussion on social media. However, Fajar considers the virality of the book to be an advantage for him. Apart from royalties, the people who were curious about the term Krismuha then bought a book and finally read it could find out the meaning and purpose of writing the book. According to the theme of the book "Managing Religious Plurality in Education", the author's goal of re-published the book is to describe the situation of tolerance and educational conditions in remote areas in Indonesia. In addition, the book explains the harmonious interaction between Muslim, Christian, and Catholic students who attend Muhammadiyah educational institutions. The students did not highlight their religious identities at all. What happened was mutual respect and a strong tolerance. The author wants to increase and strengthen the practice of tolerance, especially for the nation's next generation, regarding the importance of tolerance in multi-cultural countries like Indonesia. The book also wants to show that the presence of Muhammadiyah in the midst of Muslim minority society is very much accepted, even helping to improve the quality of education, especially in 3-T areas. Fajar regretted that there were still a small number of people who made his book a "launch" to attack Muhammadiyah, even though it was confirmed that he had never read its contents. Indonesia is indeed one of the countries with low public interest in reading. Dare to judge before understanding, reflecting the low literacy. What is even sad is that some internet residents are easily provoked just by reading the title of the book, they have dared to comment negatively and even immediately blasphemed before reading the contents of the book. This problem is a concern for every human being, so they are not used to seeing books only from their cover because the most important thing about the book is its contents. Although the author had received blasphemy from a handful of people who were not literate, it did not dampen their determination to help underprivileged children so that they could get an education. In addition to reaping an unfriendly response, the presence of this book received appreciation from Christian religious leaders. Some make the book one of the references to learning about tolerance, especially in instilling a spirit of tolerance among the next generation of the nation. From the excitement of the comments about the book, we seem to be reminded of a slander that reads "don't judge the book from its cover."