Bahasa Indonesia
GOETHE AND ISLAM
Saturday, August 28, 2010, 07:00 PM
Speaker: Dewi Candraningrum
Ramadhan Public Lecture Series
Islam in the Eyes of Voltaire, Goethe, and Soekarno
Open to the public Register by August 20, 2010 by contacting dita@salihara.org
Teater Salihara
This series of public lectures will look at the perspective towards Islam of writer-philosophers Voltaire and Goethe as well as those of the statesman, Soekarno. Voltaire (1694-1778), the French writer and philosopher, was known for his critical views towards religions which give rise to fanaticism and manipulation in the name of religion. One of Voltaire’s works is the play Mahomet, which doesn’t actually tell the history of the Prophet Muhammad, but rather relates his understanding of how fanaticism is represented.
Meanwhile Goethe (1749-1832), the leading writer and thinker from Germany, produced works that show great appreciation for Islam and were influenced by the works of the Persian writer named Syamsuddin Muhammad Hafidz al-Syirazi (1315–1390), who is known in the West as Hafez. Goethe wrote literary works in the form of diwân, which he used as the title of one of his books. He also introduced the term “world literature” which showed his openness to literary works outside of Europe, especially those from the East (Islam and Persia).
Soekarno (1901-1970), one of the founders and those who proclaimed Indonesia’s independence, had his own specific views on Islam. He tried to discover the authentic “fire of Islam”, as distinct from what he called “Islam Sontoloyo” (the latter being an Indonesian swear-word meaning silly, stupid, ridiculous), by delving into Islamic teachings which promote progress and strengthen nationalism. Even more importantly, Soekarno tried to examine the relationship between Islam and the State; he read about Turkey’s experience with secularism under Mustafa Kemal Attaturk, and the emergence of Wahabi in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He held firm views on freedom of religion, from the issue of Ahmadiyah to the ban on the use of force in the name of religion.
Before the lectures (which will be delivered in Indonesian), refreshments for breaking the fast will be provided.
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