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In Indonesia a History of Islam A HISTORY OF ISLAMA HISTORY IN INDONESIA ‘Elegantly written, carefully crafted, and solidly grounded in scholarly sources and debates, this book provides an excellent synthetic account of the history of Islam in Indonesia. Carool Kersten’s erudition, astute and judicious readings of the specialist literature, and his skills as a writer are all in ample evidence in this magisterial survey.’ John T. Sidel, London School of Economics and Political Science Explores the history of Islam in the largest Muslim nation state in the world Located on the eastern periphery of the historical Muslim world, as a political entity Indonesia is barely a century old. Yet with close to a quarter of a billion followers of Islam, it is now the largest and most populous Muslim country in the world. As the greatest political power in Southeast Asia, and a growing player on the world scene, Indonesia presents itself as a bridge country between Asia, the wider Muslim world and the West. In this survey Carool Kersten presents the Islamisation of Indonesia from the first evidence of the acceptance of Islam by indigenous peoples in the late thirteenth century until the present day. He provides comprehensive insight into the different roles played by Islam in Indonesia throughout history, including the importance of Indian Ocean networks for connecting Indonesians with the wider Islamic world, the religion’s role as a means of resistance and tool for nation-building, and postcolonial attempts to forge an ‘Indonesian Islam’. KERSTEN CAROOL Key Features • The first comprehensive historical survey of the Islamisation of Indonesia from the arrival of Islam in the thirteenth century until the present • An interdisciplinary study of the place and role of Islam in Indonesia • An overview of the religion’s growing significance in the formation of what is now the largest and most populous Muslim country in the world Carool Kersten is Senior Lecturer in the Study of Islam and the Muslim World at King’s College London and a Research Associate at the Centre of South East Asian Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies CAROOL KERSTEN in London. The author and editor of seven books, his latest publications include Islam in Indonesia: The Contest for Society, Ideas and Values (2015) and a three-volume anthology, The Caliphate and Islamic Statehood (2015). A HISTORY OF ISLAM Cover design: riverdesign.co.uk Cover image: Jakarta Istiqlal Mosque © Carool Kersten ISBN 978-0-7486-8183-9 IN INDONESIA edinburghuniversitypress.com Unity in Diversity THE NEW EDINBURGH ISLAMIC SURVEYS SERIES EDITOR: CAROLE HILLENBRAND THE NEW EDINBURGH ISLAMIC SURVEYS SERIES EDITOR: CAROLE HILLENBRAND A History of Islam in Indonesia The New Edinburgh Islamic Surveys Series Editor: Carole Hillenbrand Contemporary Issues in Islam Asma Asfaruddin Astronomy and Astrology in the Islamic World Stephen P. Blake The New Islamic Dynasties Clifford Edmund Bosworth An Introduction to the Hadith John Burton A History of Islamic Law Noel Coulson Medieval Islamic Political Thought Patricia Crone A Short History of the Ismailis Farhad Daftary Islam: An Historical Introduction (2nd Edition) Gerhard Endress The Arabic Aristotle Gerhard Endress A History of Christian–Muslim Relations Hugh Goddard Shi‘ism (2nd Edition) Heinz Halm Islamic Science and Engineering Donald Hill Muslim Spain Reconsidered Richard Hitchcock Islamic Law: From Historical Foundations to Contemporary Practice Mawil Izzi Dien Sufism: The Formative PeriodAhmet T. Karamustafa A History of Islam in Indonesia Carool Kersten Islamic Aesthetics Oliver Leaman Persian Historiography Julie Scott Meisami The Muslims of Medieval Italy Alex Metcalfe The Archaeology of the Islamic World Marcus Milwright Twelver Shi‘ism Andrew Newman Muslims in Western Europe (4th Edition) Jorgen S. Nielsen and Jonas Otterbeck Medieval Islamic Medicine Peter E. Pormann and Emilie Savage-Smith Islamic Names Annemarie Schimmel The Genesis of Literature in Islam Gregor Schoeler Modern Arabic Literature Paul Starkey Islamic Medicine Manfred Ullman A History of Islamic Spain W. Montgomery Watt and Pierre Cachia Introduction to the Qur’an W. Montgomery Watt Islamic Creeds W. Montgomery Watt Islamic Philosophy and Theology W. Montgomery Watt Islamic Political Thought W. Montgomery Watt The Influence of Islam on Medieval EuropeW. Montgomery Watt www.edinburghuniversitypress.com/series/isur A History of Islam in Indonesia Unity in diversity Carool Kersten Edinburgh University Press is one of the leading university presses in the UK. We publish academic books and journals in our selected subject areas across the humanities and social sciences, combining cutting-edge scholarship with high editorial and production values to produce academic works of lasting importance. For more information visit our website: edinburghuniversitypress.com © Carool Kersten, 2017 Edinburgh University Press Ltd The Tun – Holyrood Road 12 (2f) Jackson’s Entry Edinburgh EH8 8PJ Typeset in 11/13pt Monotype Baskerville by Servis Filmsetting Ltd, Stockport, Cheshire, and printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978 0 7486 8183 9 (hardback) ISBN 978 0 7486 8184 6 (paperback) ISBN 978 0 7486 8185 3 (webready PDF) ISBN 978 0 7486 8187 7 (epub) The right of Carool Kersten to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and the Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003 (SI No. 2498). Contents Acknowledgements vi A note on translation and transliteration vii Glossary viii Introduction 1 1 The arrival of Islam 7 2 Network Islam 25 3 Islam as resistance 55 4 Islam and nation-building 92 5 An Indonesian Islam? 131 Conclusion 170 Notes 172 Bibliography 180 Index 192 Acknowledgements The first word of appreciation has to go to Professor Carole Hillenbrand, the long-serving editor of The New Edinburgh Islamic Surveys at Edinburgh University Press. A few years ago, she invited me to contribute an overview of the history of Islam in Indonesia to this prestigious series. This book is a condensation of more than fifteen years of study and research into the history of Southeast Asia and in particular the role played by Islam. The people who have helped me in furthering my knowledge on these subjects are too numerous to mention indi- vidually. However, in terms of facilitating the completion of this project, I need to single out my Head of Department, Professor Paul Joyce, and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at King’s College London, Professor Russell Goulbourne. Without their generous agreement to grant me research leave during the academic year 2015–16, I would have never made the deadline. Finally, I want to express my gratitude to the editors at Edinburgh University Press for their assistance, efficiency and patience in bringing this book to press. Carool Kersten London, February 2016 A note on translation and transliteration This book adheres to the spelling conventions for the Indonesian language intro- duced in 1972. Many Indonesians have continued to write their personal names in the old spelling. However, in some instances, I have opted for the current variant, changing Hasjim Asjʿari to Hasyim Asyʿari, and writing Sukarno and Suharto, rather than Soekarno and Soeharto. The spelling of names is further complicated by the parallel use of Indonesian and Javanese. For example, Hamengkubuwono in Javanese is Hamengkubuwana in Indonesian. In the lit- erature, some scholars have adhered to the Indonesian, others to the Javanese versions. For Javanese names, I have opted for retaining the original spelling. Another challenge is that Indonesian has its own system of transliterating Arabic terms, which deviates from authoritative alternatives used in academic sources written in European languages. When relying on sources related to Indonesia, I have respected the Indonesian conventions, in other instances I have used a simplified version of the transcription used in the International Journal of Middle East Studies (IJMES); dispensing with diacritics for long vowels and consonants with no (near) equivalents in European languages. Those with relevant lin- guistic qualifications will be able to establish the original Arabic anyway, while other readers need not be burdened with a possibly distracting idiosyncratic typography. Glossary Abangan literally ‘red ones’. Refers to nominal Muslims (Javanese) Adat customary law Adipati Javanese title for a ruler Agama religion Ahl al-Sunna wa’l-Jamaʿah ‘People of the Tradition and the Community’ Alam world Aliran/Aliranisasi ideological pillar/pillarisation in Indonesian society Asas tunggal sole foundation Babad Javanese chronicle Bangsa nation; people Batiniyya esotericism (see also kebatinan) Bendahara Minangkabau dignitary Benteng fortress Bhinneka Tunggal Ika ‘Unity in Diversity’. Motto of the Republic of Indonesia Bidʿa(h) unlawful religious renewal Bomoh shaman, spirit doctor (see also dukun, pawang) Bupati Javanese title for a regent or governor Candi Hindu temple Chedi Buddhist temple; pagoda Churafat (khurafat) religious practices that are considered heretical; superstitions Dar al-Islam ‘abode of Islam’. Islamic legal science uses it to refer to the lands under Islamic governance where Islamic law is administered. Historiographers have used it to refer to the lands under the control of the great caliphates Daʿwa(h) (dakwah) religious propagation Dukun shaman, spirit doctor
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