The Role of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in Maintaining Religious Tolerance in Papua: Some Observations
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Gus Dur, As the President Is Usually Called
Indonesia Briefing Jakarta/Brussels, 21 February 2001 INDONESIA'S PRESIDENTIAL CRISIS The Abdurrahman Wahid presidency was dealt a devastating blow by the Indonesian parliament (DPR) on 1 February 2001 when it voted 393 to 4 to begin proceedings that could end with the impeachment of the president.1 This followed the walk-out of 48 members of Abdurrahman's own National Awakening Party (PKB). Under Indonesia's presidential system, a parliamentary 'no-confidence' motion cannot bring down the government but the recent vote has begun a drawn-out process that could lead to the convening of a Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) - the body that has the constitutional authority both to elect the president and withdraw the presidential mandate. The most fundamental source of the president's political vulnerability arises from the fact that his party, PKB, won only 13 per cent of the votes in the 1999 national election and holds only 51 seats in the 500-member DPR and 58 in the 695-member MPR. The PKB is based on the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), a traditionalist Muslim organisation that had previously been led by Gus Dur, as the president is usually called. Although the NU's membership is estimated at more than 30 million, the PKB's support is drawn mainly from the rural parts of Java, especially East Java, where it was the leading party in the general election. Gus Dur's election as president occurred in somewhat fortuitous circumstances. The front-runner in the presidential race was Megawati Soekarnoputri, whose secular- nationalist Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) won 34 per cent of the votes in the general election. -
"Symbolic Politics", Democratization and Indonesian Foreign Policy
Centro Argentino de Estudios Internacionales www.caei.com.ar Islam “Symbolic Politics”1, Democratization and Indonesian Foreign Policy By Anak Agung Banyu Perwita “If someone is able to separate sugar from its sweetness, he will be able to separate Islam religion from politics” (Wahab Chasbullah)2 “The Islamic movement should detach itself from involvement in politics. Islam is a moral force, a way to promote morality” (Abdurrahman Wahid)3. Introduction. The two quotations, above, clearly suggest an endlessly debate about the political role of Islam in Indonesia’s politics. This article discusses the role of political Islam4 in Indonesian politics and the dynamics of the interaction between the Muslim society and the State in the Indonesian political system. It provides the domestic context of the role Islam in Indonesia’s politics, which serves as the platform of the position of political Islam in Indonesia’s foreign policy in the post- Soeharto era. It will also briefly elaborate the development of Indonesia’s external environment (globalization) as an integral element of foreign policy. However, the extent to which the Islamic—as a “religio-politics”5-- factor played a significant role in Indonesian foreign policy has been subject to debate. Therefore, this article will assess the hypothesis that “foreign policies are also influenced by the religious views and beliefs of policymakers and their constituents”.6 1 Symbolic politics can be defined as “collective process of construction, distribution and internalization of political symbols (Phrases, images, norms, rules etc) which present a significant influence on foreign policy during the democratization process”. See Corneliu Bjola (2000). -
Friend - Wahid
Foreign Policy Research Institute E-Notes A Catalyst for Ideas Distributed via Email and Posted at www.fpri.org January 2010 ABDURRAHMAN WAHID, THE INDONESIAN REPUBLIC, AND DYNAMICS IN ISLAM By Theodore Friend Abdurrahman Wahid, known as Gus Dur, died on 30 December 2009 at the age of sixty-nine. The genial complexity of his character, which drew millions to him, was not adequate to the pressures of the presidency. But his life, career, and elements of caprice contain abundant clues for anyone who would understand modern Sufism, global Islam, and the Republic of Indonesia. Premises of a Republic Wahid was five years old in 1945 at the time of Indonesia’s revolutionary founding as a multi-confessional republic. Sukarno, in shaping its birth, supplied the five principles of its ideology: nationalism, international humanity, consensus democracy, social justice, and monotheism. Hatta, his major partner, helped ensure freedom of worship not only for Muslims but for Catholics and Protestants, Hindus and Buddhists, with Confucians much later protected under Wahid as president. The only thing you could not be as an Indonesian citizen was an atheist. Especially during and after the killings of 1965-66, atheism suggested that one was a communist. In this atmosphere, greatly more tolerant than intolerant, Wahid grew up, the son of the Minister of Religious Affairs under Sukarno, and grandson of a founder of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in 1926—a traditionalistic and largely peasant-oriented organization of Muslims, which now claims 40 million members. Wahid himself was elected NU’s chairman, 1984-1999, before becoming, by parliamentary election, President of the Republic, 1999-2001. -
Political Orientation of Nahdatul Ulama After Muhtamar IX
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 226 1st International Conference on Social Sciences (ICSS 2018) Political Orientation of Nahdatul Ulama After Muhtamar IX 1st Eko Satriya Hermawan 2nd Rojil Nugroho Bayu Aji 3rd Riyadi History Education Department, History Education Department History Education Department, Universitas Negeri Surabaya Universitas Negeri Surabaya Universitas Negeri Surabaya Surabaya, Indonesia Surabaya, Indonesia Surabaya, Indonesia email: [email protected] email: [email protected] email: [email protected] Abstract–Nahdatul Ulama (NU) is currently the largest Muslim- traditionalist cleric, traders and landlords are the economic based community organization in Indonesia. Looking at the basis of (school) pesantren and cleric families, which can historical view, that NU used to be a political party, even winning threaten the coffers of the traditionalist cleric economy.[2] the election in Sidorajo, East Java. This study uses a The most obvious conflict, was when deciding on methodological approach of history to see the uniqueness of NU the representation of the Dutch East Indies in the Islamic in winning the election in 1955. Authentic documents and in- World Congress held in Mecca in 1926. The traditionalists, depth interviews were conducted to gain a past representation far beyond the discourse that developed in society. worried about not having the opportunity to become representatives in the activity. On that basis, Wahab Keywords— NU, Politics, and Islam Chasbullah, through the approval of Hasyim Asj'ari, invited the leading clerics from traditionalist circles to his home in Surabaya on January 31, 1926. The meeting had two aims: I. INTRODUCTION first, to ratify the creation of the Hijaz Committee which would send a delegation to the congress in Mecca . -
Name and Address Supplied
CURRENT AND FUTURE DANGERS IN AUSTRALIA'S RELATIONS WITH INDONESIA ALL words and sentences in Red above and throughout this ciocament must he omitted ' from any publicly released documents. ;P1 ' I SUMMARYOF KEY ISSUES RAISED IN THIS PAPER: 1. Dangers to Australia's long-term security caused by a variety of factors influencing the course of events in Indonesia. 2. The probability of a large-scale refugee exodus to Australia within the next 3-5 years if oppression of minority groups left unchecked. 3. Recently discussions with a number of local Indonesian and overseas leaders regarding the concerns of Islamists controlling the national agenda 4. What can Australia do to help create better relations with Indonesia and to help Indonesia to be a more stable and reliable partner? 1. Dangers to Australia's long-term security caused by a variety of factors influencing the course of events in Indonesia. a. Despite the oflcial disbanding of the "Laskar Jihad" there are still ongoing & only partially restrained attacks by the Islamic "Jihad" and their trained followers in Central Sulawesi, Ambon, and North Maluku. The Islamic Jihad is a network or brotherhood consisting of numerous organizations whose goal is the establishing of Islamic Sharia Law throughout Indonesia and Indonesia becoming an Islamic State. Some of the more visionary radical elements aligned with "Jama 'ah Islamiyah " want to establish a S.E.Asian Islamic nation which would then set its goal on conquering, if necessary by force, other nations in the region, such as Australia, for Islam. To the present time these Islamic Jihad forces are acting with impunity and apparent immunity, although the Bali bombing seems to have caused a temporary halt to many of the major attacks, but in their place there has been a massive increase in the numbers of small bombings and bomb-threats throughout the country: 1. -
A REAL THREAT from WITHIN: Muhammadiyah's Identity
Suaidi Asyari A REAL THREAT FROM WITHIN: Muhammadiyah’s Identity Metamorphosis and the Dilemma of Democracy Suaidi Asyari IAIN Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin - Jambi Abstract: This paper will look at Muhammadiyah as a constantly metamorphosing organism from which have grown modernist-reformist, liberalist progressive, political pragmatist and potentially violent fundamentalist-radical Muslims. It will argue that the trajectory passed by and the victory of the radical-puritan element in the National Congress 2005 can potentially become an obstacle for Muhammadiyah's involvement in the process of implementing democratic values in Indonesia in the future. To keep watching Muhammadiyah’s trajectory is crucially important due to the fact that this organization is one of the powerful forces in the world toward the democratization process. In order to be on the right track of democracy, Muhammadiyah has to be able to cope with its internal disputes over democratic values. Only by means of coping with these internal disputes can this organization ensure its role in propagating and disseminating democratic ideas as well as practices in Indonesia. Keywords: Muhammadiyah, metamorphoses, identity, democracy Introduction: An Overview of Muhammadiyah To date, Muhammadiyah has been plausibly assumed to be a moderate Islamic organization which is in a similar position to Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and does not have any connections with radical individuals or organizations that could be associated with radical Islamic ideology. This paper will I argue that there are some important 18 JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN ISLAM Volume 01, Number 01, June 2007 Muhammadiyah and the Dilemma of Democracy factors that have been overlooked or ignored in this understanding of Muhammadiyah. -
Tuan Guru and Ahmadiyah in the Redrawing of Post-1998 Sasak-Muslim Boundary Lines in Lombok
CONTESTED IDENTITIES: TUAN GURU AND AHMADIYAH IN THE REDRAWING OF POST-1998 SASAK-MUSLIM BOUNDARY LINES IN LOMBOK BY SITTI SANI NURHAYATI A thesis submitted to Victoria University of Wellington in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Victoria University of Wellington 2020 i Abstract This study examines what drives the increasing hostility towards Ahmadiyah in post- Suharto Lombok. Fieldwork was undertaken in three villages – Pemongkong, Pancor and Ketapang – where Ahmadiyah communities lived and experienced violent attacks from 1998 to 2010. The stories from these villages are analysed within the context of a revival of local religious authority and the redefinition of the paradigm of ethno-religious identity. Furthermore, this thesis contends that the redrawing of identity in Lombok generates a new interdependency of different religious authorities, as well as novel political possibilities following the regime change. Finally, the thesis concludes there is a need to understand intercommunal religious violence by reference to specific local realities. Concomitantly, there is a need for greater caution in offering sweeping universal Indonesia-wide explanations that need to be qualified in terms of local contexts. ii iii Acknowledgements Alhamdulillah. I would especially like to express my sincere gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to my primary supervisor, Professor Paul Morris. As my supervisor and mentor, Paul has taught me more than I could ever give him credit for here. My immense gratitude also goes to my secondary supervisors, Drs Geoff Troughton and Eva Nisa, for their thoughtful guidance and endless support, which enabled me, from the initial to the final stages of my doctoral study, to meaningfully engage in the whole thesis writing process. -
Asia Report, Nr. 67: the Perils of Private Security in Indonesia
THE PERILS OF PRIVATE SECURITY IN INDONESIA: GUARDS AND MILITIAS ON BALI AND LOMBOK 7 November 2003 ICG Asia Report N°67 Jakarta/Brussels, 7 November 2003 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................. i I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 3 II. BALI................................................................................................................................. 2 A. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW........................................................................................................2 1. Traditional Institutions...............................................................................................3 2. The Late New Order ..................................................................................................3 3. The Aftermath of the PDI-P Congress.......................................................................4 4. The Kuta Case............................................................................................................5 5. Election Violence in October 1999............................................................................6 B. SECURITY AND DECENTRALISATION .....................................................................................6 C. THE MIGRANT POPULATION..................................................................................................7 1. Migrant Ordinances ...................................................................................................8 -
Dakwah, Competition for Authority, and Development
Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde Vol. 167, no. 2-3 (2011), pp. 236-269 URL: http://www.kitlv-journals.nl/index.php/btlv URN:NBN:NL:UI:10-1-101389 Copyright: content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License ISSN: 0006-2294 JOHAN MEULEMAN Dakwah, competition for authority, and development Introduction The Arabic word da`wah – literally call or invitation – is a general term which denotes propagation of the Islamic religion. The Malay/Indonesian term, de- rived from the Arabic, is dakwah.1 Although the concept includes efforts to convert non-Muslims to Islam, da`wah primarily refers to activities aiming at strengthening and deepening the faith of Muslims and helping them lead their daily lives in conformity with Islamic principles. Since the birth of Islam, da`wah has been an important aspect of this religion and da`wah activities have always been highly appreciated in Muslim societies. However, in the course of the twentieth century, da`wah activities and organizations have grown par- ticularly strong all over the Muslim world and have adopted new forms and new aims. This phenomenon is related to two major developments which were partly contradictory: a renewed aspiration for international unity of all Muslims, on the one hand, and the formation of modern nation-states with their different religious traditions and – more importantly – their conflicting political interests, on the other hand. Additional factors include the develop- ment of modern means of transport and communication as well as Christian missionary activities.2 Although often associated with revivalism, competi- tion with other religions, or opposition to a secular political establishment, da`wah, understood more generally as organized efforts to strengthen the Is- lamic faith and its practice, is not limited to movements characterized by such associations. -
Saudi Strategies for Religious Influence and Soft Power in Indonesia
12 2 July 2020 Saudi Strategies for Religious Influence and Soft Power in Indonesia Jarryd de Haan Research Analyst Indo-Pacific Research Programme Key Points Saudi Arabia’s push for religious influence in Indonesia has primarily taken shape through educational facilities, which remain the key source of influence today. Evidence of Saudi influence can also be seen through a trend of the “Arabisation” of Islam in Indonesia, as well as pressure on the Indonesian Government to maintain its hajj quota. Indonesian Muslim groups that object to the Salafist doctrine will continue to act as a brake on Saud i religious influence. Pancasila and, more broadly, nationalism, could also be used by those seeking to limit Saudi influence in the future. The long-term implications are less clear, but it is likely that Indonesia will continue to see elements of its own society continue to push for the adoption of more conservative policies and practices. Summary Saudi Arabia has a long history of exporting its brand of Islam across the globe as a tool of religious soft power influence and as a means to counter the influence of its rival, Iran. Indonesia, a country which contains the largest Muslim population in the world, has been at the receiving end of that influence for decades. This paper examines the origins of Saudi religious influence in Indonesia, the obstacles to that influence and identifies some of the implications that it may have for Indonesian society in the long-term future. Analysis Historical Saudi Religious Influence Saudi Arabia’s efforts to increase its religious influence in Indonesia coincided with an Islamic revival throughout South-East Asia in the late 1970s. -
Indonesian Journal of Multidisciplinary Islamic Studies, Vol
Hayula: Indonesian Journal of Multidisciplinary Islamic Studies, Vol. 2, No. 1, Januari 2018 DOI:https://doi.org/10.21009/hayula.002.1.04 The Discourse of Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama with Considerations of Geertz’s Religion of Java Firdaus Wajdi Universitas Negeri Jakarta [email protected] Naskah diterima:17 Desember 2017, direvisi:26 Januari 2018; disetujui:29 Januari 2018 Abstrak Muhammadiyah dan Nahdlatul Ulama adalah dua organisasi Muslim terbesar di negara berpenduduk Muslim terbanyak, Indonesia. Banyak penelitian telah dilakukan untuk mengidentifikasi kedua peran tersebut dalam konteks Islam Indonesia. Namun, ada kekurangan studi untuk menelusuri kemungkinan kesamaan antara keduanya. Paper ini menggambarkan deskripsi yang berbeda dari kedua organisasi tersebut dari perspektif Clifford Geertz dalam karya utamanya, the Religion of Java, di mana Geertz meliput beberapa karakteristik pengikut Muhammadiyah dan Nahdlatul Ulama. Studi ini kemudian berlanjut dengan identifikasi common grounds dari Muhammadiyah dan Nahdlatul Ulama. Penelitian kualitatif ini dilakukan melalui penelitian kepustakaan. Studi ini menyimpulkan bahwa terlepas dari kenyataan perbedaannya, ada beberapa kesamaan, yang membuat kedua organisasi tersebut bersama-sama berkontribusi lebih pada pengembangan Islam di Indonesia. Kemudian diharapkan para pengikutnya untuk bisa bekerja sama untuk membangun Indonesia yang damai melalui pemahaman yang lebih baik tentang institusi keagamaan Islam seperti Muhammadiyah dan Nahdlatul Ulama. Kata kunci: Muhammadiyah, Nahdlatul -
Saudi Arabia Exporting Salafi Education and Radicalizing Indonesia’S Muslims
Number 7 2014 ISSN 2196-3940 INTERNATIONAL Saudi Arabia Exporting Salafi Education and Radicalizing Indonesia’s Muslims Amanda Kovacs Salafis, who defend a very conservative, literal interpretation of Islam and treat Shia Muslims with hostility, are not just a phenomenon in the Middle East. They are increasingly pressuring Shias and other religious minorities in Indonesia, too. Analysis Saudi Arabia is the world’s main provider of Islamic education. In addition to promoting Salafism and maligning other religious communities, Saudi educational materials present the kingdom in a favorable light and can also exacerbate religious strife, as they are doing in Indonesia. The Saudi educational program aims to create global alliances and legitimize the Saudi claim to be the leader of Islam – at home and abroad. Since switching to democracy in 1998, Indonesia has been shaken time and EDITION again by Salafi religious discrimination and violence, often on the part of graduates of LIPIA College in Jakarta, which was founded by Saudi Arabia in 1980. Domestically, Saudi Arabia uses educational institutions to stabilize the system; since the 1960s, it has become the largest exporter of Islamic education. After Saudi Arabia began to fight with Iran for religious hegemony in 1979, it founded schools and universities worldwide to propagate its educational traditions. In Jakarta, LIPIA represents a Saudi microcosm where Salafi norms and traditions prevail. LIPIA not only helps Saudi Arabia to influence Indonesian English society, it also provides a gateway to all of Southeast Asia. As long as Muslim societies fail to create attractive government-run educational institutions for their citizens, there will be ample room for Saudi influence.