Situation Report of the Sampang Shia Conflict in Karang Gayam, Madura.
As a multicultural nation, Indonesia is blessed with diversity both in terms of socio-culture and religion. On the one hand, this condition is a plus point in the context of enriching the nation's treasures. However, on the other hand, it can become a serious threat to the unity and integrity of the nation if this diversity is not addressed wisely. Shia conflict in Sampang Madura is not the first time this has happened in Indonesia. This nation has experienced many social and religious conflicts which should have made us all aware of the value of unity.
The Sampang Shia conflict itself is still ongoing, at least the trauma of the conflict is still there. More than four years the victims of the Shia conflict in Sampang are still stuck in refugee barracks without any certainty when they will be able to return to their hometown. This condition clearly does not solve the root of the problem, it can even trigger new problems in the future. The author is interested in events when sampling selected villages in the Populi Center survey in East Java last April 2017, namely Karang Gayam village. The volunteers assigned there refused to be placed, even though incidentally they came from the same district.
The reason given was that the village was prone to activities or the arrival of outsiders. At first, the writer didn't really believe it, because often "spoiled" volunteers were assigned to certain areas. The writer tried to minimize the change in sampling, but the volunteer was adamant: "Instead of getting carok, it's better if you don't carok!" Even though it was delivered half jokingly typical of Madura, it is undeniable that in the end the author was forced to change the sampling of the village. That sentence also intrigued the writer to take a further picture of what actually happened there. This article is mainly based on the investigation report of the Surabaya Anti-Violence and Missing Persons Commission (Kontras) in 2012.
Shia on Salt Island
In the Islamic world there are at least two major sects, namely Sunni (Ahlussunnah wal Jamaah) and Shia. In its development, Sunni has become a sect followed by many Muslims in the world, including in Indonesia. The birth of Shia began with the political problems of Muslims after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, followed by a group of supporters of Ali bin Abi Talib's friend who was also the last Rashidun Khulafaur. Etymologically, "Shia" comes from Arabic which means to follow or support. According to Ibn Hazm in his book Al-Fishal Fil Milali Wal Ahwa Wan Nihal Shia, those who state that Ali bin Abi Talib is more important than all the companions and is more entitled to become caliph after the death of the Prophet. In its development, the Shiites were divided into groups with different beliefs.
The emergence of Shia in Indonesia is still being debated. Its rapid development was closely related to the 1979 Iranian Revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini. In Indonesia, especially on the island of Madura, the entry and development of Shia seems impossible considering that most of its people are fanatical Sunnis through the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) mass organization. The fact is that Shia in "Salt Island" especially Sampang can enter and develop, as noted in the investigation report of Kontras Surabaya. In the early 1980s Kyai Makmun from Nangkernang Hamlet, Karang Gayam Sampang Village, received news about the success of Iranian clerics in leading a revolution to overthrow the monarchy of Syah Reza Pahlevi.
Inspired by the Iranian Revolution and admiration for Ayatollah Khomeini, Kyai Makmun then studied Shiite teachings. Realizing that it was not easy to teach Shia in his village and in Madura in general, Kyai Makmun did it slowly and not openly. In 1983 Kyai Makmun sent his sons and daughters, Iklil al Milal, Tajul Muluk, Roisul Hukama (Rois), and Ummi Hani, to a boarding school managed by the Islamic Boarding School Foundation (YAPI) in Bangil, Pasuruan. YAPI is known as a pesantren that tends to the Shia Ja'fariyah school. In 1991 the sons and daughters of Kyai Makmun returned to Sampang.
Among them was only Tajul Muluk who then continued to study with Sayyid Muhammad Al-Maliki in Saudi Arabia in 1993. Due to financial constraints, his education stopped midway. Tajul Muluk, whose real name is Ali Murtadha, survived in Saudi Arabia as a worker and only returned to Indonesia in 1999. Tajul Muluk lives in his birthplace in Karang Gayam, which is administratively included in Omben District, Sampang Regency, East Java Province (East Java). Kyai Makmun's family and the people in his hamlet welcomed him happily. A number of villagers who were also students of Kyai Makmun donated a plot of land to establish a pesantren.
Together in early 2004 they built the Tajul Muluk residence which also functions as a pesantren, equipped with a prayer room and classrooms. At the Misbahul Huda Islamic boarding school, Tajul Muluk and his fellow YAPI alumni teach. Unlike his father, Tajul Muluk preached Shia teachings openly. Supported by his egalitarian attitude and adeptness in helping villagers in need and not wanting to receive rewards for giving lectures, Tajul Muluk's da'wah was easier to accept. In just about three years, hundreds of residents of Karang Gayam Village and the neighboring village of Blu'uren Village have followed Shiite teachings and are loyal students of Tajul Muluk.
The development of Tajul Muluk's da'wah finally received a response from local scholars. One of them is Ali Karrar Shinhaji, the leader of the Darut Tauhid Islamic Boarding School in Lenteng Village, Proppo District, Pamekasan Regency, who is actually Makmun's close relative. In a meeting with Tajul and his brothers in early 2004, Karrar stated that he did not agree with Tajul Muluk's preaching activities, that Shia was a wrong and heretical sect. Other clerics in the Omben sub-district also have a similar attitude, but they cannot hinder the preaching of Tajul Muluk because they still respect Kyai Makmun. In June 2004 Kyai Makmun who was sickly died. So there is no longer a barrier for them to oppose the Shia preaching by Kyai Makmun's sons and daughters.
The Bloody Shia Conflict in Sampang and Its Settlement Efforts
The conflict between Shia and other groups has not only happened once in Indonesia, it can be said that it always recurs, including in Sampang. The first conflict on 29 December 2011 did not result in casualties, but is believed to be the trigger for further conflicts on 26 August 2012. The first conflict occurred in Bluaran Village causing several houses to be damaged. The police named Tajul Muluk and several other people as suspects. The second conflict broke out in Karang Gayam Village, where one person died and another person was critically injured by a sickle slash, dozens of people were injured, and 49 houses were burnt. A number of suspects were again detained, including Rois, who incidentally was still Tajul Muluk's brother and a fellow YAPI alumnus but then crossed paths.
Religious conflicts that end in violence often intersect with non-religious factors. The outbreak of the Shia conflict in Sampang is an accumulation of conflicts that have occurred for a long time. The presence of Shi'ism in the midst of the Sunni mass base (NU) showed ripples of rejection, especially from religious leaders. The emergence of the Shi'a community in Karang Gayam Village was seen as a denial of the common life of the Sampang people who were bound by NU values as their common values. Various attempts were made to get Tajul Muluk and his Shi'ah followers to leave their faith and return to being Sunnis. In order to legitimize social punishment for different communities, a validating instrument was developed, namely labeling Shia as deviant and Sunni as truth.
Apart from that, the Shiite movement led by Tajul Muluk, through his da'wah activities which were gradually accepted and developed, has become a particular worry for religious leaders who are Sunni. The presence of Tajul Muluk and his followers is seen as an attempt to delegitimize the authority of Sunni figures. As reported by Detikcom, the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) found five causes of the Sampang Shia conflict. First, there is a fatwa and call from the East Java Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), East Java NU Regional Leader (PW), and clerics who are members of the Ulama Gathering Board and Madura Islamic Boarding School (BASSARA), that Shia is a heretical sect so that its adherents must be sworn in as Sunnis.
Second, the statement from the previous regent who rejected the existence of Shia adherents in the Sampang Regency area. Third, the decision of the Sampang District Court (PN) that Tajul Muluk as a Sunni figure was deemed to have committed blasphemy and sentenced him to two years in prison. In the appeal process, the East Java High Court (PT) increased the sentence to four years in prison. Fourth, the personal conflict between Rois and Tajul Muluk which was followed by each of his followers in a prolonged manner. Fifth, at this time the election for the regent of Sampang was being held, in which the aspirations of the Sunni community were raised as a means to raise the masses and voices.
The government moved quickly to resolve the Shia conflict in Sampang by forming an investigation team and encouraging reconciliation. The legal process against the responsible parties is carried out to demonstrate the existence of the rule of law. In addition, many elements from civil society were involved, but it was not easy. Residents rejected the return of Shiite refugees. Mediation to return the refugees to their hometowns ended in a deadlock, so the government relocated them to Flats (flats) Puspa Argro flats in Sidoarjo on June 20 2013. This option was seen as able to reduce the conflict, but did not touch the root of the problem. After four years at the relocation site, the Shia adherents have not been able to return to their hometowns.
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