If you were to pick between being a ‘Warrior of Jihad’ and a ‘Warrior of Love’, which one would you chose? The youth in Indonesia are facing a tough choice between the two as they figure out their stance in the ‘culture war’ in the post-Suharto Indonesia. According to this article in the Weekly Standard, the country’s young people are turning towards political, economic, and social participation in society and turning away from radical ideas thanks in part to efforts of Ahmad Dhani, a rock star sometimes compared to Bono. One of his recent products is Laskar Cinta,
…an innovative song, designed as a “musical fatwa” against extremism. The lyrics reflect Dhani’s Sufi faith: they are inspired by the Qur’an and ahadith (the sayings attributed to Prophet Muhammad) with the intention of rebutting the hateful ideology that inspires Islamic terror. There is even an annotated version of the song online that makes the theological inspiration behind the verses explicit. And it has found an audience: Laskar Cinta became the No. 1 song in Indonesia shortly after its release, while its music video reached the top spot on MTV Asia’s popular Indonesian- and Malay-language Ampuh program.
The article briefly captures a very interesting biography of Ahmad Dhani, from his early steps in a school of conservative Islamic to him embracing Sufism and changing his outlook on religious and cultural differences. Through his work as an artist,
Dhani has been actively trying to engage the youth, and offer them a religious alternative to extremism. He has expressed his vision for change: “My hope is that in the future, Dewa’s fans–who are primarily young and not yet contaminated by extremist ideology and intolerance–will grow up to be more tolerant than the present generation and break the cycle of hatred that has begun to plague our society.”
Dhani, it seems, has not only changed his outlook on the world, he has also become a true leader engaging young people to support more liberal values and ideals.
Published Date: November 21, 2006