The Established Islam vs. the New Emerging Islam Utopia and Islamic Activism in an Era of Transition

Sebastian, Leonard C.; Othman Alkaff, Syed Huzaifah Bin

doi:10.1007/978-981-97-1140-6_4

Leonard C. Sebastian⁵ &
Syed Huzaifah Bin Othman Alkaff⁶

Part of the book series: Global Political Transitions ((GLPOTR))

6 Accesses

Abstract

The clash within Islam begins first with the colonial era polarisation of Muslim groups and then proceeds with contestation among groups shaped by Islam’s encounter and response to modernisation since the early twentieth century influenced by the political policies of the Netherlands East Indies government called the Ethical Policy. Instituted at the turn of the nineteenth century, the policy was expected to correct earlier exploitative policies of the colonial regime.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Chapter: USD 29.95; Price excludes VAT (USA)

eBook: USD 99.00; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Hardcover Book: USD 129.99; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

1.
The Ethical Policy was introduced by the Dutch government at the turn of the century redress exploitative policies implemented in the Netherlands East Indies instituted by previous Dutch governments.
2.
Prasetyo, Hendro, & Munhanif, Ali. (2002). Islam & Civil Society: Pandangan Muslim Indonesia (p. 48). Jakarta: Gramedia Pustaka Utama bekerjasama dengan PPIM-IAIN Jakarta.
3.
To gain a more comprehensive picture of the character of Modernist Islam, see Geller (1994: 21–24). For an Indonesian perspective see Noor (1973).
4.
Sucipto, Hery, & Ramly, Nadjamuddin. (2005). Tajdid Muhammadiyah: Dari Ahmad Dahlan Hingga A. Syafii maarif (pp. 21–41). Jakarta: Grafindo Khazanah Ilmu.
5.
Gellner, Ernest. (1983). Muslim Society (pp. 18–20). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
6.
Suminto, Husnul Aqib. (1985). Politik Islam Hindia Belanda. LP3ES.
7.
Sucipto, Hery, & Ramly, Nadjamuddin. (2005). Tajdid Muhammadiyah: Dari Ahmad Dahlan Hingga A. Syafii maarif. Jakarta: Grafindo Khazanah Ilmu.
8.
Prasetyo, Hendro, & Munhanif, Ali. (2002). Islam & Civil Society: Pandangan Muslim Indonesia. Jakarta: Gramedia Pustaka Utama bekerjasama dengan PPIM-IAIN Jakarta.
9.
Hefner, Robert W. (Ed.). (2005). Remaking Muslim Politics: Pluralism, Contestation, Democratization (Ser. Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics). New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p.281.
10.
Hefner, Robert W. (2000). Civil Islam: Muslims and Democratisation in Indonesia (Ser. Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics) (pp. 19, 71). New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
11.
Sayyid, Bobby S. (1997). A Fundamental Fear: Eurocentrism and the Emergence of Islamism (1st ed.). London: Zed Books.
12.
Senghaas, Dieter. (1998). A Clash of Civilizations—An Idée Fixe? Journal of Peace Research, 35(1), 127–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343398035001010.
13.
Geertz, Clifford. (1973). The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays (pp. 314–315). New York, NY: Basic Books.
14.
Geertz, Clifford. (1973). The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays (p. 315). New York, NY: Basic Books.
15.
Kuntowijoyo. (1993). Paradigma Islam Interpretasi Untuk Aksi (A. E. Priyono, Ed.). Bandung: Mizan.
16.
Wertheim, Willem Frederik. (1964). Indonesian Society in Transition (2nd ed.). The Hague: W. van Hoeve Ltd.
17.
Hefner, Robert W. (2000). Civil Islam: Muslims and Democratisation in Indonesia (Ser. Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics) (p. 19). New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
18.
Jamhari, & Jahroni, Jajang. (Eds.). (2004). Gerakan Salafi Radikal di Indonesia (pp. 13–14). Jakarta: PT Raja Grafindo Persada.
19.
Interview with Zulkarnaen, the East Java regional secretary of Lasykar Mujahidin Indonesia (Surabaya, 3 February 2005).
20.
Interview with Rosdiansyah, an independent Surabaya-based researcher of hard-line formalist Muslim groups and radical Islam (Surabaya, 5 August 2004).
21.
Furkon, Aay Muhammad., & Nawawi, Abd. Muid. (2004). Partai Keadilan Sejahtera: Ideologi Dan Praksis Politik Kaum Muda Muslim Indonesia Kontemporer. Jakarta: Teraju.
22.
Interview with Rosdiansyah, an independent Surabaya-based researcher of hard-line formalist Muslim groups and radical Islam (Surabaya, 5 August 2004).
23.
Interview with Ustadz Zakaria, the caretaker of Pesantren Al-Islam (Tenggulun, Lamongan, 4 February 2005). He explains that the Taliban Islamic regime in Afghanistan is the ideal model of Islamic political order in the modern era.
24.
Interview with Ismail Yusanto Leader of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (Yogyakarta, 20 July 2004) and Irfan Suryahardi Awwas, Secretary of Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (Yogyakarta, 31 September 2004).
25.
Traditions of the Prophet as recorded by the first generations of Muslims regarding the words and actions of the Prophet Muhammad.
26.
Interview with Ustadz Ja’far Umar Thalib, Commander of Lasykar Jihad (Yogyakarta, 2 February) 2005, Ustadz Harun Sardjono, Public Relations Head of Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (Yogyakarta, 1 February 2005), Ustadz Zakaria, the caretaker of Pesantren Al-Islam (Tenggulun, Lamongan, 4 February 2005).
27.
Interview with Zulkarnaen, East Java Regional Secretary of Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (Surabaya, 3 February 2005) and Ustadz Zakaria, the caretaker of Pesantren Al-Islam (Tenggulun, Lamongan, 4 February 2005).
28.
Interview with Ustadz (Abu) Harun Sardjono, coordinator of public relations for the Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (Yogyakarta, 1 February 2005).
29.
Interview with Ustadz Habib Riziq Shihab, Leader of the Front Pembela Islam, 20 February 2004.
30.
Zada, Khamami. (2003). Politik Islam Radikal. Jurnal Hak Asasi Manusia (HAM) Dan Demokrasi, 3(1). Jakarta: THC.
31.
Interview with Ustadz Ja’far Umar Thalib, Commander of Lasykar Jihad (Yogyakarta, 2 February 2005); Ustadz Harun Sardjono, Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (Yogyakarta, 1 February 2005); Zulkarnaen, East Java Regional Secretary Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (Surabaya, 3 February 2005); and Ustadz Zakaria, caretaker of Pesantren Al-Islam (Tenggulun, Lamongan, 4 February 2005).
32.
Interview with Dr Hidayat Nur Wahid, Chairman, MPR-DPR, Republik Indonesia on 27 January 2005.
33.
The first rulers for the Muslim Ummah after the death of the Prophet Muhammad.
34.
Furkon, Aay Muhamad. (2004). Partai Keadilan Sejahtera: Ideologi Dan Praksis Politik Kaum Muda Muslim Indonesia Kontemporer (p. 234). Jakarta: Teraju.
35.
Interview with Dr. Zulkieflimansyah, Deputy Chairman, Komisi VI, DPR-RI and leader of the PKS faction, DPR-RI, 20 July 2005.
36.
Interview with Dr. Hidayat Nur Wahid on 27 January 2005.
37.
Interview with PKS activist Muhammad Badaruddin, Jakarta on 23 September 2004.
38.
Interview with Aswar Hasan, secretary-general of KPPSI in Jakarta, 14 August 2004.
39.
Interview with Ismail Yusanto, leader of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (Yogyakarta, 20 July 2004).
40.
Interview with Ismail Yusanto, leader of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (Yogyakarta, 20 July 2004).
41.
Interview with Ustadz Ja’far Umar Thalib, commander of the Lasykar Jihad in Yogyakarta, 2 February 2005.
42.
Interview with Ustadz Ja’far Umar Thalib, commander of the Lasykar Jihad in Yogyakarta, 2 February 2005.
43.
Interview with Ustadz Harun Sardjono, Head, Public Relations of Lajnah Tanfidziyah Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia in Yogyakarta on 1 February 2005.
44.
“The State guarantees all persons’ freedom of religion and freedom to worship according to their religion and belief”. Cited from http://www.law.unimelb.edu.au/alc/assets/1945_Indo_Constitution.pdf.
45.
Darmadi, Dadi. (2021). Islamic Orthodoxy at the Regional Level in Indonesia. In Leonard C. Sebastian, Syafiq Hasyim, & Alexander R. Arifianto (Eds.), Rising Islamic Conservatism in Indonesia: Islamic Groups and Identity Politics (1st ed., pp. 40–53). London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
46.
Kurzman, Charles. (1998). Liberal Islam: A Sourcebook. New York: Oxford University Press.
47.
Hefner, Robert W. (2000). Civil Islam: Muslims and Democratisation in Indonesia (Ser. Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics). New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
48.
The Kaum Tua differed from the Kaum Muda in that they represented the Traditionalist Muslim group with their emphasis on the teachings of the great religious teachers from Islam’s past. They were not opposed to modernisation only that they held the firm belief that religious principles need not be reviewed.
49.
Jay, Robert R. (1963). Religion and Politics in Rural Central Java. New Haven, CT: Yale University, Southeast Asian Studies, Cultural Report series no. 12, 1963.
50.
Hj Zakaria, Dr Hj Gamal Abdul Nasir, & Dato Hj Mahalle, Dr Hjh Salwa. (2012). The Role of I.A.I.N. In The Education System Reform of the “Madrasah.” American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 2(5), 87–95. https://www.aijcrnet.com/journals/Vol_2_No_5_May_2012/11.pdf.
51.
Madjid, Nurcholis. (1970). Paper Presented in the forum of Silaturrahmi Among the Activists of Islamic Student Organisations, HMI, GPI and PII, conducted on 3 January 1970 by PPI Branch, Jakarta, in Jakarta.
52.
Hefner, Robert W. (2000). Civil Islam: Muslims and Democratisation in Indonesia (Ser. Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics) (p. 117). New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
53.
Hefner, Robert W. (2000). Civil Islam: Muslims and Democratisation in Indonesia (Ser. Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics) (p. 116). New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
54.
Barton, Greg. (1999). Gagasan Islam Liberal di indonesia: Pemikiran Neo-Modernisme Nucholis Madjid, Djohan Effendi, Ahmad Wahib Dan Abdurrahman Wahid, 1968–1980 (pp. 444–445) (Nanang Tahqiq, Trans., Edy A. Effendi, Ed.). Jakarta: Paramadina.
55.
Interview with Utomo Dananjaya, secretary of Paramadina Foundation, Jakarta, 7 September 2004.
56.
Prasetyo, Hendro, & Munhanif, Ali. (2002). Islam & Civil Society: Pandangan Muslim Indonesia (pp. 118–119). Jakarta: Gramedia Pustaka Utama bekerjasama dengan PPIM-IAIN Jakarta.
57.
Pribadi, A. (2004). Beyond the Logical Reasoning of Religious Sacredization. Liberal Islam Network. Mimeo.
58.
Madjid, Nurcholish. (1997). Tradisi Islam: Peran Dan Fungsinya Dalam Pembangunan di Indonesia (pp. 61–62). Jakarta: Paramadina.
59.
Sebastian, Leonard C. (2003). The Indonesian Dilemma: How to Participate in the War on Terror Without Becoming a National Security State. In Kumar Ramakrishna & See Seng Tan (Eds.), After Bali: The Threat of Terrorism in Southeast Asia (pp. 357–382). Singapore: World Scientific/Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies.
60.
Thohari, Hajriyanto Y. (2000). “Negara Santri”: Menengok Tesis Cak Nur. In Abdul Mun'im D. Z. (Ed.), Islam di Tengah Arus Transisi (pp. 26–32). Jakarta: Harian Kompas.
61.
Interview with Teuku Kemal Pasha, an Achenesse Islamic leader (Yogyakarta, 5 July 2004).
62.
Interview with Teuku Kemal Pasha, an Achenesse Islamic leader (Yogyakarta, 5 July 2004).
63.
Interview with Professor Abdul Munir Mulkhan, Islamic State University Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, 7 February 2005.
64.
Arkoun, Mohammed. (1994). Rethinking Islam: Common Questions, Uncommon Answers (Robert D. Lee, Trans. and Ed.). Boulder, CO: Westview.
65.
Interview with Syafiq Hasyim, researcher at the International Center for Islam and Pluralism (ICIP), Jakarta, 24 July 2004.
66.
Interview with Listiyono, who lectures on the subject of political Islam at Airlangga University, Surabaya, 7 August 2004.
67.
Hefner, Robert W. (2000). Civil Islam: Muslims and Democratisation in Indonesia (Ser. Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics). New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
68.
Interview with Professor Abdul Munir Mulkhan in Singapore, 27 February 2006.

Bibliography

Arkoun, Mohammed. (1994). Rethinking Islam: Common Questions, Uncommon Answers (Robert D. Lee, Trans. and Ed.). Boulder, CO: Westview.
Google Scholar
Barton, Greg. (1999). Gagasan Islam liberal di indonesia: Pemikiran Neo-Modernisme Nucholis Madjid, Djohan Effendi, Ahmad Wahib Dan Abdurrahman Wahid, 1968–1980 (Nanang Tahqiq, Trans., Edy A. Effendi, Ed.). Jakarta: Paramadina.
Google Scholar
Darmadi, Dadi. (2021). Islamic Orthodoxy at the Regional Level in Indonesia. In Leonard C. Sebastian, Syafiq Hasyim, & Alexander R. Arifianto (Eds.), Rising Islamic Conservatism in Indonesia: Islamic Groups and Identity Politics (1st ed., pp. 40–53). London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Google Scholar
Furkon, Aay Muhammad., & Nawawi, Abd. Muid. (2004). Partai Keadilan Sejahtera: Ideologi Dan Praksis Politik Kaum Muda Muslim Indonesia Kontemporer. Jakarta: Teraju.
Google Scholar
Geertz, Clifford. (1973). The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays. New York, N.Y: Basic Books.
Google Scholar
Gellner, Ernest. (1983). Muslim Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Google Scholar
Hefner, Robert W. (2000). Civil Islam: Muslims and Democratisation in Indonesia (Ser. Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics). New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Google Scholar
Hefner, Robert W. (Ed.). (2005). Remaking Muslim Politics: Pluralism, Contestation, Democratization (Ser. Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics). New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Google Scholar
Hj Zakaria, Dr Hj Gamal Abdul Nasir, & Dato Hj Mahalle, Dr Hjh Salwa. (2012). The Role of I.A.I.N. In The Education System Reform of the “Madrasah.” American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 2(5), 87–95. https://www.aijcrnet.com/journals/Vol_2_No_5_May_2012/11.pdf.
Interview with Aswar Hasan, secretary-general of KPPSI in Jakarta, 14 August 2004.
Google Scholar
Interview with Dr Hidayat Nur Wahid, Chairman, MPR-DPR, Republik Indonesia on 27 January 2005.
Google Scholar
Interview with Dr Zulkieflimansyah, Deputy Chairman, Komisi VI, DPR-RI and leader of the PKS faction, DPR-RI, 20 July 2005.
Google Scholar
Interview with Irfan Suryahardi Awwas, Secretary of Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (Yogyakarta, 31 September 2004).
Google Scholar
Interview with Ismail Yusanto , leader of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (Yogyakarta, 20 July 2004).
Google Scholar
Interview with Listiyono, who lectures on the subject of political Islam at Airlangga University, Surabaya, 7 August 2004.
Google Scholar
Interview with Muhammad Badaruddin, PKS activist (Jakarta, 23 September 2004).
Google Scholar
Interview with Professor Abdul Munir Mulkhan, Islamic State University Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, 7 February 2005.
Google Scholar
Interview with Professor Abdul Munir Mulkhan in Singapore, 27 February 2006.
Google Scholar
Interview with Rosdiansyah, an independent Surabaya-based researcher of hard-line formalist Muslim groups and radical Islam (Surabaya, 5 August 2004).
Google Scholar
Interview with Syafiq Hasyim, researcher at the International Center for Islam and Pluralism (ICIP), Jakarta, 24 July 2004.
Google Scholar
Interview with Teuku Kemal Pasha, an Achenesse Islamic leader (Yogyakarta, 5 July 2004).
Google Scholar
Interview with Ustadz (Abu) Harun Sardjono, coordinator of public relations for the Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (Yogyakarta, 1 February 2005).
Google Scholar
Interview with Ustadz Habib Riziq Shihab, Leader of the Front Pembela Islam (20 February 2004).
Google Scholar
Interview with Ustadz Harun Sardjono, Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (Yogyakarta, 1 February 2005).
Google Scholar
Interview with Ustadz Ja’far Umar Thalib, Commander of Lasykar Jihad (Yogyakarta, 2 February 2005).
Google Scholar
Interview with Ustadz Zakaria, the caretaker of Pesantren Al-Islam (Tenggulun, Lamongan, 4 February 2005).
Google Scholar
Interview with Utomo Dananjaya, secretary of Paramadina Foundation, Jakarta, 7 September 2004.
Google Scholar
Interview with Zulkarnaen, the East Java regional secretary of Lasykar Mujahidin Indonesia (Surabaya, 3 February 2005).
Google Scholar
Jamhari, & Jahroni, Jajang. (Eds.). (2004). Gerakan Salafi Radikal di Indonesia. Jakarta: PT Raja Grafindo Persada.
Google Scholar
Jay, Robert R. (1963). Religion and Politics in Rural Central Java. New Haven, CT: Yale University, Southeast Asian Studies, Cultural Report series no. 12, 1963.
Google Scholar
Kuntowijoyo. (1993). Paradigma Islam Interpretasi Untuk Aksi. (A. E. Priyono, Ed.). Bandung : Mizan.
Google Scholar
Kurzman, Charles. (1998). Liberal Islam: A sourcebook. New York: Oxford University Press.
Book Google Scholar
Madjid, Nurcholis. (1970). Paper Presented in the Forum of Silaturrahmi Among the Activists of Islamic Student Organisations, HMI, GPI and PII, conducted on 3th January 1970 by PPI Branch, Jakarta, in Jakarta.
Google Scholar
Madjid, Nurcholish. (1997). Tradisi Islam: Peran Dan Fungsinya Dalam Pembangunan di Indonesia. Jakarta: Paramadina.
Google Scholar
Prasetyo, Hendro, & Munhanif, Ali. (2002). Islam & Civil Society: Pandangan Muslim Indonesia. Jakarta: Gramedia Pustaka Utama bekerjasama dengan PPIM-IAIN Jakarta.
Google Scholar
Pribadi, A. (2004). Beyond the Logical Reasoning of Religious Sacredization. Liberal Islam Network. Mimeo.
Google Scholar
Sayyid, Bobby S. (1997). A Fundamental Fear: Eurocentrism and the Emergence of Islamism (1st ed.). London: Zed Books.
Google Scholar
Sebastian, Leonard C. (2003). The Indonesian Dilemma: How to Participate in the War on Terror without Becoming a National Security State. In Kumar Ramakrishna & See Seng Tan (Eds.), After Bali: The Threat of Terrorism in Southeast Asia (pp. 357–382). Singapore: World Scientific/Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies.
Google Scholar
Senghaas, Dieter. (1998). A Clash of Civilizations—An Idée Fixe? Journal of Peace Research, 35(1), 127–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343398035001010.
Sucipto, Hery, & Ramly, Nadjamuddin. (2005). Tajdid Muhammadiyah: Dari Ahmad Dahlan Hingga A. Syafii maarif. Jakarta: Grafindo Khazanah Ilmu.
Google Scholar
Suminto, Husnul Aqib. (1985). Politik Islam Hindia Belanda. LP3ES.
Google Scholar
Thohari, Hajriyanto Y. (2000). “Negara Santri”: Menengok Tesis Cak Nur. In Abdul Mun'im D. Z. (Ed.), Islam di Tengah Arus Transisi (pp. 26–32). Jakarta: Harian Kompas.
Google Scholar
Wertheim, Willem Frederik. (1964). Indonesian Society in Transition (2nd ed.). The Hague: W. van Hoeve Ltd.
Google Scholar
Zada, Khamami. (2003). Politik Islam Radikal. Jurnal Hak Asasi Manusia (HAM) Dan Demokrasi, 3(1). Jakarta: THC.
Google Scholar

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
Leonard C. Sebastian
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
Syed Huzaifah Bin Othman Alkaff

Authors

Leonard C. Sebastian
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Syed Huzaifah Bin Othman Alkaff
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Leonard C. Sebastian .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Sebastian, L.C., Othman Alkaff, S.H.B. (2024). The Established Islam vs. the New Emerging Islam Utopia and Islamic Activism in an Era of Transition. In: Indonesia and Islam in Transition. Global Political Transitions. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-1140-6_4

Download citation

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-1140-6_4
Published: 24 April 2024
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-97-1139-0
Online ISBN: 978-981-97-1140-6
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics