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Artikel Jurnal Pustu 5 Islamic Insights 2019; Vol. 1, No. 2, December 2019, pp. x-xx 123 ISSN: 2684-7353 Cite this as: Ahmad Anfasul Marom, Bayu Mitra Adhyatma Kusuma. The Comparative Dialectics of Islam, Politics, and Government in Indonesia and Thailand. Islamic Insights Journal. 2019: Vol. 1(2): PP 41-53. The Comparative Dialectics of Islam, Politics, and Government in Indonesia and Thailand 1*Ahmad Anfasul Marom; 2*Bayu Mitra Adhyatma Kusuma 1, 2 Institute of Southeast Asian Islam, Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia Abstract The religion particularly Islam has a considerable influence on the politics and governmental system in a country generally. But of course, the role of Islam in politics and government will be different when Islam as the majority religion compared when Islam became a minority religion. It becomes interesting to be explored further, so as to see concrete evidence the authors determined to compare the dialectic of Islam in the politics and government in Indonesia and Thailand. The results of research showed that there is a significant imbalance between the role of Islam in Indonesia and Thailand for politics and government. In Indonesia since the struggle until independence era, the Muslim leaders and activists are aware that in order to improve the condition of the country, it takes a political struggle to deal with attempts to obtain power to influence government and public policy making. This can be evidenced by the existence of Islamic party or Islamic mass-based party from the first general election to date. In addition, at the level of government the role of Muslim activists and scholars are also greatly affected. Instead, in Thailand show that Islam has a small portion in politics and government. This is evidenced by the lack of political access and opportunity to participate in the governmental system. Even in a particular regime, Muslims get very discriminatory treatment. Like as in the administration of Prime Minister Phibul Songkhram and Thaksin Shinawatra. This condition is supported by the prevailing political system in Thailand, where the authority of the regime is absolute and inviolable. As an impact, insurgents’ groups in Southern Thailand namely National Revolution Row (BRN) and Pattani United Liberation Organization (PULO) continued to express special autonomy. With the special autonomy it is expected that the conflict in Southern Thailand will subside. Keywords: comparative dialectic, Islam, politics, government 1. Research Background that achieve the power is a normal Humans have a nature to always phenomenon in any individual or group. achieve the various desires and goals. In the context of state, the efforts to One aim is to achieve power, either achieve power are usually reached individually or in groups. Power is the through political channels where one ability of a person or group of people to goal is to dominate the governmental influence a person's or other groups system. Ibn Khaldun in Muqaddimah behavior such a way that it becomes a argued that politics is one special feature behavior in accordance with the wishes which is unique to human. Therefore, in and goals of the people who have the politics, human should indicate the best power (Budiarjo, 2007). It can be said aspects in him. The best aspects of life can be constructed from religion and * Corresponding author: Ahmad Anfasul Marom morality (Affandi, 2004). [email protected] Published online at http://islamicinsights.ub.ac.id/2018- 1 Copyright © 2018 PSP2M UB Publishing. All Rights Reserved Received, Month xx, 201x Revised, Month xx, 201x Accepted, Month xx, 201x Islamic Insights 2019; Vol. 1, No. 2, December 2019, pp. x-xx ISSN: 2684-7353 Stating that Islam is only related to Despite the fact that the the spiritual life, without anything to do relationship between Islam with the at all with the community and the state, politics and government has a very long may be as remote from reality by stating history, regrettable that the theoretical that Islam has provided a system of discourse about it has just evolved social, economic and political which throughout the past four decades alone thorough and detailed (Osman, 1983). (Effendy, 2009). It has indicated some The relationship between religion people think that the treasures of the particularly Islam with the politics and development of Islam with the politics government has a very long history. In and government only occur significantly the journey of that history, religion in the Middle East region. As we know experiencing contacts with the socio- that currently, moderate Islamist has cultural realities and engage directly or attempted to integrate them into the indirectly in the level of politics and political system of the Middle East government, moreover Islam has an (DeGregorio, 2010). So that most people important role in growing the socio- in the west automatically identify Islam political attitude and behavior. Broader with Arabs, the reality Arabs only make understanding towards politics and up around 15% of the world’s Muslim government will make its correlation (Choi, 1996). Meanwhile, in the other with Islam become clearer. parts of the world is less from attention and consideration. Whereas the spread of The term of politics in the Islamic Muslims not only in the Middle East fiqh according Imam Hanbali is about region, but also in various corners of the attitude, behavior and public policy world, including in the Southeast Asian which is juxtapose toward people region. The spread of Islam in Southeast benefits (Amin, 2009). Muhammad Asia do not only occur in countries SAW, beside as the last prophet and whose majority are Muslims like messenger, he is also the leader of the Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Islamic government in Medina that until Darussalam. But also in countries whose today his saying still neatly written about majority are the other religions, such as politics, government, public Thailand that politics and government administration and state constitutional are run by Buddhist principles. law (Syafi'ie, 2006). Although it is undeniable that in this world too many Indonesia is a country with the secular states that considers religion has largest Muslim population in the world, nothing to do with the state. So that they although in Indonesian Islam is not the do not includes religion as a government official state religion (Suaedy, 2010). It’s affair. But in fact, many countries have different with Malaysia who has formally shown that religion has a close link with declared Islam as the official state politics and government. For example, religion. In Indonesia, Islamic symbol are politics and government relations and Islamic concept are prominent in with Islam in Indonesia, with Buddhists political affairs (Ricklefs, 2012). It is in Thailand, with Hindu in India, or with given that the majority of Indonesia's Christian and Catholic in European population is Muslim, so mastering and countries. So, it can be said that religion controlling their sound and support is has become an integral part of the history very important in maintaining political of politics and government in many and governmental stability. In Indonesia, countries. identity politics are loaded by religious Cite this as: 124 Ahmad Anfasul Marom, Bayu Mitra Adhyatma Kusuma. The Comparative Dialectics of Islam, Politics, and Government in Indonesia and Thailand. Islamic Insights Journal. 2019: Vol. 1(2): PP 41-53. Islamic Insights 2018; Vol. 1, No. 2, December 2019, pp. 41-53 ISSN: 2684-7353 issue, beside ethnicity and political government. Since the beginning, the ideology (Maarif, 2010). While, in Indonesian leaders and Muslim activists Thailand Muslims are minority where are aware that improvement is concerned they mostly live in southern Thailand. it requires a political struggle, which is Generally, as minority groups, Muslims dealing with efforts to gain power. As an in Thailand are difficult to access their ability to influence the actions and political rights, especially to involve in thoughts of others and influence public the governmental system. policy-making process, power through political way is very important. Muslim has much experience both as minorities or majorities within a In the colonial era, Islamic leaders region. They were initially minorities in and organizations have emerged as a Mecca and later when Muslim hijrah to symbol of political resistance against the Abyssinia and Medina (Siddiqi, 2006). Dutch colonial. These organizations are The process of the dialectic between such as Sarekat Islam, Muhammadiyah Islam with politics and government in and Nahdlatul Ulama. As the Islamic predominantly Muslim countries such as reform began to be introduced to the Indonesia is different in countries where Netherland Indie, the most important of Muslims are a minority like in Thailand. which was the rise Muslim leaders, the Therefore, it becomes interesting to find reformist, who had the same voices as points of difference and similarity. those presented by the new priyayi Important to review the deeper how does graduated from Dutch schools. And the the existence of Islamic political parties reformist course was then followed, or Islamic mass-based political party in albeit still distinctive, by the santri Indonesia and its influence on the community under the leadership of the governmental system. Besides that, this ulama of pesantren (Burhanudin, 2014). paper will analyze and examine about the relation between the Government of For the next evidence can be seen Thailand towards South Thai minority from the history of the Indonesian Muslim group in the context of politics. struggle in the early days of independence was encouraging Islamic 2. Dialectic Process between Islam leaders to implement policies that and Politics in Indonesia and confrontational, in the application area Thailand can appear in a variety of faces, such as Islam is an important factor that the fight for the loading of Islamic law in must be considered if we want to the constitution through the Jakarta understand about the politics and Charter and mastery in legislators, government in Indonesia.
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