Reimposing Dār Al-Salām and the Kingdom of God in the Indonesian Context: A Detour from Geopolitical Territorialization to Religioethical Conversation.

Abstract

Several factors have triggered world religious conflicts. Aside from scriptural and doctrinal issues, one crucial factor is territory or territorialization. Simply put, the question often boils down to this: Who is in control of a particular place? Given a religious framing, the critical question at hand is what specific religion dominates a specific area. In Islam, the bipolar concept of dar al-islam versus dar al-barb - based on literal, geopolitical, doctrinal, and legal foundations - divides the world into two irreconcilable dichotomic poles: the abode of peace and the abode of war. Historically, Christianity has demonstrated the same geopolitical territorialization, especially during Western Christendom (200-1000 CE) and, later, European colonialism (1700-1940 CE). During these eras, particularly the latter, Christian rulers divided the world into regions consisting of the conquered and the unconquered. Unfortunately, this dichotomic concept and power-dominating motif has caused conflicts and separated territories, frustrated identities, and disintegrated communities. Thus, these realities pose challenges to peaceful interreligious relationships in both global and local contexts. Against this backdrop, this essay argues that the terms dar al-islam and its counterpart, dar al-barb, have no scriptural basis and, thus, are neither normative nor relevant. They occur in neither the Qur'an nor the Sunna. Instead, this binary emerged within the progressive development of international affairs and relations between Muslims and non-Muslims. The Christian counterpart of this binary territorial concept is also similar, it emerges outside of specific religious scriptures. Consequently, such a notion is difficult to accept and apply, even among larger Muslim and Christian groups. The argument in this essay is based on the qur'anic idea of dar al-salam (Q 6:127; 10:25). This writing conceives, constructs, and promotes the religioethical idea of civilization or the making of a just and peaceful society. Such an idea is also compatible with and corresponds to the biblical idea of God's kingdom in the Christian tradition, particularly its religious-ethical values of justice and peace. Both Islam and Christianity should make these religious-ethical values a platform for constructing Muslim-Christian relationships marked by mutuality. Such efforts might appear subversive, turning geopolitical territorialization into a religioethical conversation. This shift would no doubt enhance just and peaceful Muslim-Christian relations in the future.