SECULARISME THREAT AGAINST ISLAMIC DA’WAH

Introduction

If can be analogized, Islam is the goods, then the dakwah is its advertising,
as well as secular is the items, propaganda is the ads. The success of a
brand's lies in the strength of the ads. What's happening in the world today
is the change of the world is very quickly because of the movement and the
explosion of information technology. Communication technologies ( the
latest internet ) in the form of delivery and information network has
eliminated the limitations of borderless world to make the world as a Global
Village of every thought, ideology, culture ,ism and technology from multiple
places across the world will enter state increasingly lost its border
boundaries. Similarly, the outside ideology of especially secularism, rushed
into the Islamic world east (orient) through the concept of borderless world,
and Global Village, cannot be prevented until it becomes a big threat against
Islam and dakwah. The weakness and strength of an ideology or ism (Islamic
vs. secular) who practiced, lies in the weakness and strength of how the
propaganda is spread. Altaf Gauhar (1986) states that the love of material
things or wealth implies a level where we can measure the extent to which
secular ideology has absorb into the Muslim community. Many Muslim
community today has been influenced by the secular ideology that continues
to spread rapidly throughout the world including the Islamic countries,
especially Turkey (Turkey is said to be the initial growth of secularism in
Muslim countries began in the 16th century AD). Especially in the corporate
world, these days are often associated with the 'world money' which was a
little dragging of the Muslim community living in the material world. If at the
time of the Prophet S.A.W. Muslims have to face the real enemy as the
polytheists of Quraysh, threat from Qaisar and Qisra at that time also the
challenges that do not appear to have been no such trickery of munafikun ,
then on the history of the French invasion of Egypt in 1786 until the ideals of
the western world to destroy Islam through the Crusades . To make matters
worse, the world Jewish Zionist sent missions as the same goal and in
addition to the efforts of all the Orientalist have the same ambition to
destroy the Islamic creed in the East (Orient). Enemies of Islam are always
looking for opportunities and the chance to destroy Islam from within their
effort after the conquest of the country failed. The enemies of Islam era and
the decade of this century have great strategies and techniques to destroy
Islam from within at every corner. Enemies of Islam in this era of post
modernism under the conceal of various names of the organization. Decades
20's is also a time full of challenges and disturbances to the Islamic religion.
If the previous centuries, religion was opposed by the war but now the
hostilities change in the form of ideological spread. Ism West has attacked
Islam, by applying the concepts of modernism, logicalisme, pragmatisms,
humanism, Liberalism Women, secularism and the various influences that
destroy the Islamic faith and culture . Muslim community should be aware of
the symptoms and the need to work through the strategy and effort of
dakwah to address and overcome it for Islam as ad-Din and the way of
Muslims life.

History of Secularism

The term of 'secular' found by researchers in history, in the development of

civilization of the Greeks thought. At first the Greeks called it as secculum
associated with a particular relationship with time. Little by little the earthly
affairs in the West (who is the Catholic) gained independence from the
domination of the church. Having arisen Protestant leader Martin Luther
(1483-1546), then increased the areas that escape from the supervision of
the church. In the 19th century, the secular is defined as the areas in which
the church no longer has the right at all to interfere in these areas: politics,
economics, and science. At that time, it has been heard the opposition
against secular made by Robertson Brishton (1863) who said:

"We tasted a living area afterwards another field again and finally religion
becomes blur and not real." H.M. Rasjidi (1972: 16-17).

In the 20th century, many more areas of life apart from controlling the
church, such as universities and hospitals. In a book entitled: "Believe and
Unbelievers have discussed this matter. He said:

"We try to separate people from communion with God, from trusting God to
trust people. We completely changed from human to human and human
beings do not exist separated by the spirit, and physical characteristics of
animals and angels. "

When this occurs in the end religion is limited only in the church alone.

H.M. Rasjidi (1972: 17) explains the term secularism is clearly born in 1851.
Founded by G.S. Holyoake (1817-1906) as the name of the system of ethical
Philosophy Pope intended to provide interpretations to human life without
belief in God, The Holy Book and Life After. Holyoake also established
associations of secularism in some places in Europe with Charles Bradlaugh
as the first person to be chief in London. Bradlough was an atheist who
subscribed to the sitting of parliament without taking the oath for refusing to
use the Bible. The members of Secular Societies called Secularist but after a
few generations, they prefer to be called Humanist. Next Rasjidi quoting the
opinion of Alan Rishardson:

"This matter relate to their association with a feeling of sad, full of

antireligious propaganda. Secularism is commonly defined as an attitude of
trends broad in society to be easy to think nothing of God and all the issues
related to religious activities as busy with worldly affairs. Busy towards
worldly is the reasons they do not have time to sit down and think about
these things hereafter."

Secularization has started since mid-century is seen as a historical

development which can not be ignored. After the Western Roman kingdom
was destroyed by enemy attacks, the church began to take over the political
and economic situation. At the time of Renaissance and the emergence of
nationalism in Europe, the European people free themselves from the power
of the church. In the mid- 20th century, can be say that the completion of
the process of secularization in Europe world and is usually spread to
countries all over the east. Alan Richardson in the book The Religion in
Contemporary Debate has been explained:

"That the world we see now is a result of the secularization of the Christians
and their civilization."

If we review the opinion of Syed Muhammad Naquib al - Attas (1981: 241-

242) , he followed the lines of the birth of secular history in a different view .
He said:

"The term arose in the western secular relation to political matters and a
certain philosophy."

He added that, in terms of politics, these movements arising from the chaos
that occurred before and after the Reform Bill in England in 1882. The main
source is from the descriptions of Robert Owen and the followers of his
school and also in the Chartist movement flow. It is also a plan to see
progress in the social and political and distributed by organization and
education. From such attitudes, self-interest arising from the nature of
priority among the journalists who made opposition to the absurd things in
the political and religious freedom. Thus, arose in the community, the
reaction against religion. So that secular movements arose among them as
a protest against conditions in the above areas. In terms of philosophy,
secularism has relation to philosophy of Associalationist by James Mill and
Jeremy Bentham to be influenced by Thomas Paine and Carlyle. It is also
influenced by the philosophy of positivism which included the effect of GH
Lewis and J.S. Mill. Thus, secularism advocated by the British utilitarian.

With the belief of positivism, the religious influence out of all areas of human
life in this world. And with the philosophy of utilitarianism in which the
description of the motives of human activity is excluded from the religious. In
the face of narrowing the religion, then Western start spreading ideas of
secular Christianity with the goal of great Christian nations do not just
meditate in the church to foster a sense of piety, but they must follow the
same in the temporal areas. This is explained by a German theologians of
Bon Hoeffer said:

"Man does not mean the Christian ecclesiastical, but must be fully human."

Understanding Secularism

To facilitate the study of growth and the concept of secularism, it is

important to know in advance the definition of secular.

According to Dr. H.M. Rasjidi (1972:5), the term secularism comes from the
Latin Sacculum means a period (enage) also means a generation refers to
the time and place. Saccularis means related to a particular time. While
seculum mean things in relation to the present day, while religion is the
things on the last day. Next Rasjidi explains that secularism is an ideology or
a belief that destroys trust in God and the meaning of secularization is a
process of breaking down and understanding the problems of this world
direct of intelligence and the ratio alone. David Martin in the Religions and
The Secularism describes secularism comes from the Latin term Saeculum
meaning generation or times covering the following aspects:

a. Religion and culture - a reduction in the institutional church and the

reduction of all the attention in matters of religion.

b. Thoughts and attitudes of society - which lays just a worldly thing.

Prof. Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas (1981: 140) defines the term 'secular'
as something that by the time the current period or is present. Thus the
secular means in relation to the world now, while religion is the time that has
elapsed. He brought an example of Olympic sports in Munich, the Germans
have sung songs Hymns secular it is a present day and worldly only. In a
book the same written by him are under the subtopic of Islam and
Secularism (1981: 19) Syed Naquib describes at length the meaning of
secular. He said the notion of secularism is based on the pattern of life in
which human liberation occurred from the nursery of religion and faiths that
remain regarding the nature of the universe. In the 19th century the secular
in West is defined as the areas in which the church or the religious affairs
have no right at all to interfere in business, politics, economics, science and
others. Religion is in the church only while outside the church is not religion
anymore. Next Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas (1981: 111) explains further
that Secularism is a term originally derived from the Latin word Secular
Saeculum of language that gives the following definition:

a. A generation or era.

b. In the context of Christianity he took the meaning "of this world."

c. Something that is contrary to the church.

d. Something that belongs to the world just now and no relation to religion or
its business.

e. It is also used with a negative meaning to indicate something is not

related to the church, religious or not holy or sacred.

f. If associated with various types of knowledge such as literature, history or

art and therefore not concerned with religion, is not holy or sacred.

g. If it is connected by means of education -oriented education that is not

religious.

h. The broader meaning, it means something that is owned or related with

the outer world of nature only, and not related with immortal nature.

i. If connected to teachings such as moral, then it means that emphasizes

the moral teachings or people problems in this world. By ignoring such
considerations arising from the belief in God or the universe eternal or
supernatural.

j. If referred to the people, the point is made that a man who is no longer
interested and the struggle to achieve spiritual or religious life. But make
himself merely as the pursuer worldly success.