,ilx|ililfluililil[lil

r,tf'Rssix;,= offi\-

f;

W"ffi:{ -"L\>,

9{

c,JT,{

1't

- , i-: cr a\\t '.i-:€&-\7: J! ri,

,.1,U''t.!. ',f^ // 4.,t

D-d.l r. I

,-1,",f'r?I*e*l

:.4

\

ffi

Ir)-Y]'9:

iils.t

o

t

:]AMOM S.

HABIBIEYOTES

orgingAheadREVEALS WHAT MODERN iCI\4I S ABOUT,

WRITES

ENOWNEDGerman scientistAlbert Einsteinonce said, "Mostpeople say thatit is the intellectwhich makes

gteat'scientist. They are wrong:is character." To some extent, itb

bably true-at least in today'sorld ofscientists, success is notu,ays measured by the number of

vations or scientific papers thatproduce.

-\sk llham Habibie, an Indonesian with aas a scientist, what among others

tines an intellectual-and he probably agrees:th Einstein, and he would even go deeper,

a more precise revelation ofwhatintellectualshould hare. "Openness and the

:llingness to help others," Ilham says, "arerat makes an intellectual."-\s the first chairman ofthe presidium of\II, or Indonesian Association of Muslim:ellectuals, Ilham underlines what the modern\lI is all about. It's not "exclusive, not

and completely neutral."''Being intellectual, through the lensesICMI, is not about having sophisticated

:ational degrees. As long as one is educatedwanting to be active in solving [social]

,rblems, especially confronted by Indonesianhe or she can join the organization,"

emphasizes.ICMI was founded in 1990 by the then

Secretarv of Research andB.J. Habibie. Since then, it has

'n n considerabll as an inIuenrial adr ocateup, a think tank-comprised ofthousands

'lndonesian Muslim professionals, scientists,scholars, and educators that has

about social changes, transforming thecultural, and political faces of Indonesia

in the century. The Association was also knownto advocate for introducing Sharra principlesinto Indonesian legal and political system, aswell as overseeing the establishment of Islamic-based banks in the country.

Under IlhamS leadership, the focus of ICMIhas changed. Itl more geared toward theempowerment of grassroots communities. "Thepriorities hare shifted. as ne will focus more onthree crucial sectors: economy, education, andhealth," explained Ilham, who spent two-thirdof his life in Hamburg and Munich, Germanyand 2 years in Seattle, USA. "In order to beeconomically empowered, people need to beeducated and healthy-a simple logic. ICMIexists to assist our Iunderprivileged] fellowMuslim:-as you know that rhe rasr majorirloflndonesia's population mired with socialgrievances-from poverty to maternal deathsare Muslims," Ilham continues.

lC\41. he erplains. has been on a missionto tackle such grievances and supports thegovernment's programs aimed at acceleratingthe fulfilment ofthe Millennium DevelopmentGoals (MDGs). "It's because the MDGs are clearand quite measureable," Ilham says.

Investing in MDGs is quite thrilling, and theprogress of ICMI'.s programmes related to suchnoble goals is underway-al least in the economicsector This time, ICMI oyersees around 4,000Sharia-based Financial Service Cooperatir esacross Indonesia. These are savings-and-loancooperatives whose funds are derived andmaintained solely by the members without anyinterference from a third party. "In a municipalityof West Sumatera Province, for instance, suchcooperatives are proven to be successful inlowering the level of local farmers' dependencyon shark loaners by 5O%," Ilham explains.

In a more technologically advancedscope. lCVl is undergoing a quire promisingpilot project-in which it tries to link thesecooperatives through an IT network and makethem computerised. Ilham's reason is simple: atthe end ofthe day, a nationwide computerisedsl stem of Sharia-based Financial Sen iceCooperatives will bentfit everyone, as it can be

ATAGLANCEIIHAM I{ABIBIEwas born inGermany on May16th,1963. Hewas married in19B7and hasthree ch dren.An MBAgraduate of theveneratedUnivers ty olChicago, USA,lhamwasalsoawarded a Dr-lng (PhD) degreen AeTonau: aaEngineeringw:naSLrmmaCunLaldefrom:l'eTechn s.heUnlversitatMrlnchen.Germany.

ar

{

used as a platform to share expericnces.ICMI's cfforts donl stop there. On a more

strategic level, the Association taps thcpotential of mosques, rvhich arc probab)y themost ubiquitous and vital grounds fbr Mus)imsin lndonesia, and yet thcir eflicacy is oftcntimesoversimplified. ln many places, thc holy placehas performcd multiple functions, transftrrmcdinto a classroom. healthcare clinic, or evcn aplace where locals gather to exchange ideas,rather than iust simply being a place of worship.

Ilham is not blind to the thct that at mosques,something translbrmatirc driven by technologycan take placc. Auother pilot project afootpionccrcd b1 ICVI includes lererlging mosque.and maximizing thcir functions through an lTsystem, connecting one mosquc to;rnother in avirtual fashion, henceibrth creating a networkof mosques.

"wete putting ICT tools on the torvers ofsome mosques [in \\'est Sumatera] and getthcm connected through the Internet," hc5a)s. Th(J idcJ hcrc is to mrk( precaulionar)measures morc elfectivc, as well as to providelocal communities Iacking access to wiredcommunication facilities with a bettcrinfrastructure-in the hope of improving theirstandards ofliving.

With this system in place, an ill person Iivingin remote areas, for instance, can consult rvitha doctor via a webcam, or a pre€inant mother jnthc middle of nowherc can receive e-treatmentor e-education about the importance ofmrternal hculth lrom .t midrvile lir ingthousands ofkilometres away from her.

But llham admits that the challenges to makeq

\. -.1!r

Ilham is not blind to the.fact

I

that at mosquc,\, ,\omcthingilun,srt rmuiivc drit'cn -hv'techiologt can take place

such noblc cfforts effcctive are far greater thancxpected, considering that certain standardsand invcstments in e'infrastructures are stilllacking. "l3ut a pilot proiect on this willcommcnce in June in West Sumatera," he says,in a more optimistic notc.

The task of lCMl, however, is not limitedto only hclping solve the endemic socialproblems Indonesian Muslims are confionting.The extent of ICMI'.s roles in the country\ socialdomain is over and above such endemics, as

it also lobbies different Muslim groups withspanning idcological spcctrums to sit down andhave dialogues.

"With the recent rise in Islamic radicalism,ICMI always pushes the idca of pluralism andconstantly tries to cngage such different Muslimgroups in constructive and open dialogues.Wete providing input to thc government as tohow to deal with the issue. In the end, it comesto them, as a judicative authority, to createthe right policies. ICMI hopes that there willbe a convergence dirccting toward the rightsolution," llham concludes. E

-/-'