Journal of Indonesian Islam
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FRACTURED CONSENSUS: Islamic Groups and the Perceived Military Politics in Post-Suharto Indonesia
Get PDFBook Review:Book title:Military Politics, Islam, and the State in IndonesiaAuthor:Marcus MietznerNo. of Pages:xvi + 426Year:2009Publisher:Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapor
بحث كتاب "حجة الصديق لدفع الزنديق" للشيخ نور الدين الرانيري
Get PDFThis paper is aimed at explicating the Sufistic idea of Sheikh Nur al-Din al-Raniri, a scholar from Aceh through a critical investigation of his Hujjat al-Siddiq li Daf` al-Zindiq (the Argument of the Truthful against the Apostate) and, to a lesser extent, his Himmat al-`Ulama’ `ala Ri`ayah (the Commitment of the Religious Scholars over their Subject). The latter serves as the intellectual and theoretical ground for the former. The paper argues that his many works are all aimed at not only disseminating mystical knowledge, but also at constructing sufi-based culture and tradition in Aceh. For al-Raniri, the paper further argues, faith is the basis of a society. Hence, al-Raniri’s conception of faith and how this central concept is related in his understanding to the process of society-building deserve a careful analysis
WHERE HISTORY MEETS PILGRIMAGE: The Graves of Sheikh Yusuf Al-Maqassari and Prince Dipanagara in Madura
Get PDFThis paper focuses on two pilgrimage sites in eastern Madura, the supposed graves of Sheikh Yusuf Al-Maqassari and Prince Dipanagara. It contrasts the scholarly history of these two figures with the stories that have grown up around them in eastern Madura. The Madurese stories of the two figures have shown remarkable resilience in the face of radically different stories that draw their authority from modern scholarship and Indonesian nationalism. The “true” burial places of the two figures are in the city of Makassar, but their “alternative” graves in Madura are sites of vibrant stories that give expression to local history, local story-telling conventions, local nationalist aspirations and the authority of Islam. The vitality of the alternative graves with their alternative origin stories raises several interesting questions about the connection between sites of religious importance and the construction of local identity and history
THE MAJLIS DHIKR OF INDONESIA: Exposition of Some Aspects of Ritual Practices
Get PDFThis study will explore the extent to which Indonesian Majlis Dhikr groups interpret and respond theologically certain aspects of their ritual practices. Several topics discussed in this paper wish to answer whether or not the belief and ritual of Majlis Dhikr are relevant to the normative dimension of Islamic teachings and Islamic Sufi practices. This research reveals that some aspects of Sufi practices have been adopted by Majlis Dhikrthe groups in their main ritual practices have a strong basis in the practices of the Prophet and Sufi masters. I argue that what they have practised actually cannot be regarded as the violation of Islamic teachings as has been frequently accused by other groups of Muslims. Some aspects of Sufi practices and concepts adopted by Majlis Dhikr group include the reciting of salawat, the concepts of sainthood (wali) and miracle (karamah), tawassul, sending the merit of pious deeds to deceased persons, and the concept of tabarruk
THE FORMALISATION OF ISLAMIC ATTIRE IN PADANG, WEST SUMATRA
Get PDFThis study examines the formalisation of Islamic attire among Minangkabau people – particularly among school students in Padang, West Sumatra – in the spirit of the regional autonomy of post-Soeharto Indonesia. It focuses on the conceptualisation and enforcement of the Mayor’s policy concerning Islamic attire for students in the Mayoral Decree (No. 451.422/2005) in line with the rampant Shari>`ah-influenced by-laws throughout West Sumatra. I argue that the formalisation of Islamic attire has been unproductive in terms of promoting Islamic precepts because veiling is an ever-contested concept within the complex Muslim social structure. The imposition of this ‘contested concept’ has led to veiling becoming an ‘imposed choice’ that has assumed a formal meaning as proper religious attire for the wearer. Instead of enhancing religious awareness, the imposition of Islamic attire on students in public schools has failed to encourage a personal awareness of religious and cultural identity in them
ISLAMIC AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES: Challenges and Opportunities for Twenty-First Century Indonesia
Get PDFThis paper explores challenges and opportunities for Religious and Islamic Studies in the opening years of the twenty first century. It is especially concerned with relationships between the Indonesian, North American and Global contexts in which the two disciplines are located and the ways in which scholarly discourse can be enriched by trans-national cooperation and discourse. It is argued that Religious Studies should be understood as an academic discourse about religion and must be clearly distinguished from religious discourse internal to and across confessional lines. In a more concrete way, the paper is concerned with the epistemological foundations of the academic study of religion and with the issue of pluralism. It is argued that in today’s globalized world pluralism is a fact that cannot be ignored or eliminated. Discussion on what Eck has identified as three dimensions of pluralism, civic, theoloÂgical and academic
FRIDAY PRAYER AND AN INDONESIAN ISLAMIC IDENTITY IN CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA
Get PDFThis paper analyses the meaning of Friday prayer for Indonesian Muslims students in Canberra, Australia. Due to the nature of obligatory prayer (s}ala>h) in Islam, it is hard to identify the symbolic meaning of every movement of prayer for the Muslim participants. However, using Bowen’s analysis, this paper emphasizes the social significance of Friday prayer for its participants in a particular place and time. It argues that Friday prayer is viewed by Indonesian Muslim participants as a medium to strengthen their Islamic faith and their membership of the Indonesian Islamic community in Canberra. Being a minority group, facing a prevailing Western culture, they try to maintain their faith and create social cohesion among Indonesian Muslims through their participation in this Islamic ritual
RELIGIOUS COURT IN INDONESIA: History and Prospect
Get PDFSince the enactment of Law No. 7 in 1989, religious courts have gained an equal position, in terms of jurisdiction, to other courts in Indonesia, a status that took a considerable time to realize. This article discusses the historical development of religious courts in Indonesia from the early period of Islam in the country to the post-independence period. It particularly highlights internal and external factors which underpin the development of religious courts. Further, this paper examines the development of religious courts under the auspices of the Supreme Court. In the early period of Islam in Indonesia, there was no explicit dichotomy between Islamic and public courts. Religious courts had sole power in the judiciary. During the colonial period, however, the Dutch and Japanese limited the authority of religious courts. After Indonesian independence, the status and authority of religious courts did not change much until the implementation of the Law in 1989
INDONESIAN MUSLIM WOMEN AND THE GENDER EQUALITY MOVEMENT
Get PDFThroughout the history of Indonesia, the concepts of gender and power-relations between men and women have been linked to a shifting and fluctuating idea of what constitutes good women, good men, and good gender relationships within the context of Indonesia and Islam. To analyse these changing attitudes to women’s issues in Indonesia, we need to pay attention to several points: the character of the women’s organizations, whether fully independent, semi autonomous, or subsidiaries of existing male organizations; the important issues rising within the movements, as well as the strategies to deal with them; and lastly the influential factor of government intervention in the women’s movement. This paper tries to explore the Muslim women’s movement and its strategy to accommodate or resist from the domination of Islam in terms of the nation state, the constitution and the dominant cultural norms in Indonesia
THE GENEALOGY OF MUSLIM RADICALISM IN INDONESIA: A Study of the Roots and Characteristics of the Padri Movement
Get PDFThis paper will trace the roots of religious radicalism in Indonesia with the Padri movement as the case in point. It argues that the history of the Padri movement is complex and multifaceted. Nevertheless, it seems to be clear that the Padri movement was in many ways a reincarnation of its counterpart in the Arabian Peninsula, the Wahhabi movement, even though it was not a perfect replica of the latter. While the two shared some similarities, they were also quite different in other respects. The historical passage of the Padris was therefore not the same as that of the Wahhabis. Each movement had its own dimensions and peculiarities according to its particular context and setting. Despite these differences, both were united by the same objective; they were radical in their determination to establish what they considered the purest version of Islam, and both manipulated religious symbols in pursuit of their political agendas