Not only surprising, but also made the public frown as a sign of disbelief. How can it be, Indonesia received a Taliban delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Eight delegates with typical Afghan costumes in the name of the Taliban. Not on behalf of Afghan citizens.
Isn’t the Taliban known all this time, even being stamped as a terrorist (extremist) organization? So, why is the Taliban warmly welcomed by Indonesia, who welcomes the number two persons in Indonesia again!
Indeed, many commented and understood the meeting would be detrimental to Indonesia. It is as if Indonesia legitimizes and recognizes the existence of the Taliban, so that, once again, it is very counterproductive considering that all this time, Indonesia has strongly condemned, not even given the slightest space for a person or organization with a radical ideology (radical-terrorist).
Part of the community’s disappointment at the Indonesian government was increasingly overwhelming like a haystack when the Taliban delegation was received by MUI and PBNU. Social media also did not escape the nosy content of this meeting.
In contrast to those who followed Indonesia’s involvement in bringing about peace in Afghanistan, surely the meeting of the Taliban delegation in the past few days would have positively welcomed the meeting.
This is because Indonesia’s position in this context is as a country that is actively involved in resolving conflicts (peace mediators) that have raged between the Taliban and the Government of Afghanistan supported by the United States and its allies. This conflict is almost endless. So the visit emphasizes the position of Indonesia as the largest Muslim country to convince the Taliban to choose to walk the path of peace.
However, behind all that, we must also honestly admit that the Taliban’s bargaining position is currently high. How come. Previously, the Taliban were always ‘hostile’ by most countries in the world.
Do not make a visit to a country, when the Taliban is traveling, when they are caught arriving at the airport for example, the local state authorities will arrest him because they are considered terrorists. Now they have begun to be accepted and counted on the international scene. His trip to a certain country, Indonesia for example, was hosted, the trip was arranged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and placed as a state guest.
Taliban exiles
The current Taliban is the old Taliban. Over the past few years. The group that fought for Islamic law in Afghanistan has resurfaced and posed a threat to the official Government of Afghanistan supported by the US and its allies.
Taliban progress began around the early 1990s in the area of North Pakistan after Soviet Union forces withdrew from Afghanistan. The Taliban movement gradually enlarged, especially its influence began in the fall of 1994. Then this group has begun to conquer several districts in Afghanistan.
BBC News (16/11/2009) states that the forerunner of the Taliban was Islamic boarding schools with funding from Saudi Arabia. It was also stated that the pesantren affiliated with this group usually adopted hardline Sunni schools.
Early on, the Taliban was dominated by Pashtuns. This condition is inseparable from the promises being made by the Taliban to Pashtun citizens, namely restoring peace and security based on the Islamic Shari’a if they are in power.
The Taliban group increasingly gained international attention after the attack on the World Trade Center, New York on September 11, 2001. One month after the airplane raid which tore down the WTC building and killed thousands of people, the United States began a campaign against war on terrorism in Afghanistan, with the main mission of overthrowing Taliban rule, which the US accused of protecting al-Qaeda (mastermind behind the WTC), and to arrest Osama bin Laden. The US and its allies also succeeded in overthrowing the government under the rule of the Taliban.
The Afghan control cycle then changes; now in power is a government led by Ashraf Ghani. The Taliban called it an American puppet government.
From here, the conflict in Afghanistan has raged for decades, with nearly millions of human lives being victims of this almost endless conflict.
The conflicting parties have several times been involved in countless negotiations and negotiations by two fingers. A glimmer of hope for peace is moving around the globe. However, because of the strong variety of petty and cunning interests that always accompany it, peace never materializes and the suffering of hundreds to millions of people continues.
Indonesia’s Position in World Peace
Today, we see another opportunity to break the vicious cycle of conflict in Afghanistan and start living peacefully. Hope for a sense of security and peace in Afghanistan is in sight. This is where Indonesia’s position is.
As a predominantly Muslim country and this condition makes Indonesia the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia is taking a fairly firm and elegant step, which is trying to become a mediator of peace in Afghanistan.
Indonesia’s involvement in promoting peace in Afghanistan began with President Ashraf Ghani’s visit to Jakarta on April 5, 2017.
The “ceasefire” initiative in Afghanistan re-emerged. This time it was exhaled by Washington’s main negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad in the Qatari capital on January 28, 2019, that the US and the Taliban had an agreement that could pave the way for peace talks.
From here there is a gap for Indonesia to continue to promote peace in Afghanistan.
Indonesian Moderate Islamic Inspiration for the Taliban
Behavior or moderate attitude in all respects, especially in religion, becomes the need of every human being. Because, attitudes and behavior as well as moderate understanding will give birth to peace. As we all understand that humans need peace, like fish need water.
The Taliban are beginning to realize that moderation is the best solution to the conflict in their area. The Taliban, in plain view, certainly see the conditions in Indonesia that moderation is the main key to creating a sense of peace. The moderate attitude of the Taliban seems to have increasingly taken place when the US reportedly will withdraw its troops in Afghanistan.
However, signs of the victory of the Taliban now must be clearly and comprehensively portrayed. That the victory of the Taliban was not solely because they were determined to fight the ‘infidel’ rulers. So, this kind of attitude and hard measure is used as the legitimacy of other groups to implement the same thing in their respective countries.
That is, it is not appropriate to take lessons from the victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan by jihad against a government that is considered ‘infidel’. So, this kind of step actually raises the seeds of radicalism and extremism.
What must be carefully portrayed in the events that occurred in Afghanistan is that how to apply a moderate attitude in religion. In this case, the world can emulate Indonesia.
Other countries began to look at Indonesia because they were considered successful in building unity and peace even though Indonesia’s composition was very diverse. So, we should say Ahlan wa Sahlan, the Taliban. May moderate Islam, which is the main pillar in living a religious and social life, also be applied by the Taliban.
The phenomenon of the Taliban is also increasingly convincing to all of us that, the path of violence will not solve the problem. Mutual respect and moderation are precisely the solutions to the realization of lasting peace.
