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Sisters, militias and Islam in conflict: questioning ‘reconciliation’ in Nahdlatul Wathan, Lombok, Indonesia

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Notes

  1. The Nahdlatul Wathan organization follows the Syafi’i school of law in which the issue of women in leadership is open to debate based on the claim that it refers only to the contexts of a woman leading a nation, prayers, or as a judge in a criminal court, thus allowing for the possibility of a woman leading an organization, village, or other community/social group. For more information about these debates, and in particular Indonesia’s first female president (Megawati Sukarnoputri), see Van Doorn-Harder (2002) and Van Wichelen (2010).

  2. These groups could also be described as vigilante or local security groups (pamswakarsa – community/civilian security groups). Many such groups emerged in Lombok after the fall of Suharto in response to national instability.

  3. For more on gender and female leadership in NW, see Smith and Hamdi (forthcoming).

  4. In Indonesia madrasah are schools that combine a secular curriculum with Islamic religious education. Pesantren are traditional Islamic boarding schools exclusively for the study of Islam.

  5. There are no reliable statistics on the exact number of Nahdlatul Wathan members, but estimates suggest 70-80% of the Muslim population identifies with the organization to varying degrees (Hadi 2010; Hamdi 2011). Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah are also popular Islamic organizations in Lombok.

  6. For more on the role of tuan guru in leading civilian militia groups (non-NW) in other parts of Lombok, see Macdougall (2007) and Hadi (2010).

  7. We discuss this in detail in ‘Transgressing with piety: female leadership, spiritual power and gender matters in Nahdlatul Wathan, Lombok’ (Smith and Hamdi, forthcoming).

  8. Rauhun and Raehanun are sibling sisters from different mothers. Maulana Syeikh married a total of seven women during his life. Rauhun is from the fourth wife and Raehanun is from the fifth. Raehanun’s mother is the only wife who accompanied Maulana Syeikh until he died in 1997. This position is profitable for Raehanun’s group because they have an advantageous access to power.

  9. The majority of people from Pancor were/are supporters of Rauhun.

  10. Majdi is currently Governor of the Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) province (2008–2013). We discuss this later in the article.

  11. These groups are registered as wings of the (double-led) Nahdlatul Wathan organization(s) with a focus on local security and social issues. In 2009 Satgas Hamzanwadi claimed to have 30,000 members, and Hizbullah had 50,000 members (Hadi 2010; B.J.S, field notes).

  12. In 1999, Rauhun’s faction was affiliated with Partai Daulat Rakyat (PDR), while Raehanun’s faction aligned with Golkar. In 2004, Rauhun changed to affiliate with Partai Bulan Bintang (PBB) and Raehanun changed to Partai Bintang Reformasi (PBR).

  13. Slametan and syukuran are life-crisis rituals held throughout Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. They are communal events held for birth, circumcision, marriage, pregnancy, death, anniversaries of death and so on (Beatty 1999; Geertz 1960; Smith 2008; Woodward 1988).

  14. Tuan Guru Bajang means ‘young tuan guru’.

  15. Rauhun and Raehanun are now aged in their 60s.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Politeknik Pertanian Negeri Samarinda, East Kalimantan, Indonesia

    Saipul Hamdi

  2. Department of Sociology-Anthropology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong, BE 1410, Negara Brunei Darussalam

    Bianca J. Smith

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  1. Saipul Hamdi
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  2. Bianca J. Smith
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Correspondence to Bianca J. Smith.

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Hamdi, S., Smith, B.J. Sisters, militias and Islam in conflict: questioning ‘reconciliation’ in Nahdlatul Wathan, Lombok, Indonesia. Cont Islam 6, 29–43 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11562-011-0168-5

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