ContemporaryIslamic Renewal in Indonesia* Azl't1 lrrt rr, i'4zrtt** Ab6trak Pembaharuan Islam Kontemporer di Indonesia ' r .
' .
: , , ' r ' ' r r i n k r - r s k l rpr c r l i a t i u r i r r y a l:rcla kalian tentaltgkebangkitan l < r : r t r l - , ldi r.
r r t r e i n v i g o r a s iI s l a r n c i a l a r nk e i r i d u p a n .
s o s i a id a n p o i i t i k c l i I n d o ncsia.
Sebelunr rernbahasrnasalahtcrsel>ut,Azvumardi Azra mengernukakan ierangkaran kebilakan Penrerrnrairy'arrg keres' terhaclapurnat Islam sehingga rnenl'ebabkrn terjedinva keteganglrn clan konrlik ant.
lra pihak vang perama ctenganpihak vang keclua Di biclang pc-,litik,kebiiakan-kebijakan .
ernerinrah \'1lng sllrlsat ketet clan kerrs bcrkaitan clengan penolakannya terhaclap rehabilitasi partai Masyr,rrni,pembersihan tcrhadup rnereka yang diasosiasik:ln sebagai .
enganLlr politik gerakan Darr-rl Islarn , -fentara trsiarnIndoncsia, 'Kornancio .
enun'lpx.
Jihact' clan pcnangkapan rcrhadap para pcllcntang kebrinkan asastunggal I'ancasiil.
Kebiiakan Pcrneriniahini terkersan 'lah<tluhtelah reryacliproses 'clepolitisasi'Islarn cli Indonesra Di oiclangkehiclupan sosial keagamaan,Pemerintah luga rtrenlaarnbilsikac.
K c t l l t( l e n k e b i i a k a n k c r a s , v e n gs e r u p a t e r h : t d a pu n r a t I s l a r n .
I i a i r n r .
r n r s a l n l ' a .
ti:,pat cliratcl:rkcbijakan Pcurerintahketika lnengljukan lttl{,.
p (Rancang-ln L-'nclang-r.
Perkaw.
ke DPR pacia tahun 1973.
r'ang clipanc.
uttlat islat sebagai tnuatan sekr,rlerkarena ticlak urenginclahkan nilai-nilai p c r k l t r r ' i n a n y ' l t n g I s l a r t r i .
K e b i l a k a n l a i n y a n g c l i a r n b i l P e r n e r i n t a ha c l a l a h r r t c n g a k t rsi e c a r ' .
s n rci l a nr t t e m a .
s u k k a n : r l i r akne p e r c e v a u nk e c l a l a mG B F I N .
y u n g c l i t r r r .
r g g e poil e h k a l a n s e n l s l a r n s e b a q a i t e l a h r n e n e n l p a t k a n e l i r a n '.
c'\il\'.
it :,rt,lrlk:tl dt'rtglr .
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iecara pelan tetapi pasti, keeciaan terscbut dr utas r:rullit berubah paci.
' Paper presented at Internatronal Conterence 'lslam lnd Change: Towards Global R.
enewalof the Umrnah', helcl by Angkaran Belia lslam Melaysra,Kuata Lumpur 7-.
jLrne, 1996.
" Azyumardi Azra.
Ph.
, lecturer of postgraclueteprogmrn of the State Insritute tbr lslamic Studies .
AiN) Jakarta, and Editor-in-Chief of Stclialslamtka.
Indonesian Joumal tbr Islamic Studies.
ll-lann uh.
,\\' t9/l9X.
A4noilardi Ava akir tahun 1980-an menyusul penerirnaan kebijakan asas tunggal oleh umat Islam.
Merrurut penulis, faktor-faktor internasional dan domestik telah ikut memberikan kontribusi rerhadap terjadinya perubahan ini" Artikel ini lebih trtclirr untuk nrenyorotr indikator-indikator internal bagi 'lslarn munculny'a i<enibali kultural itraupun 'Islarl polrtrh ke pentas nasionai Indikator-inciikator bagi bangrrtnya kernbaii lslam kr-riturrai ini ciapar disebut antara lain pembentukan YaynsanAmal Bhakti Ivluslirl Pancasill, pcngirinrrn da'i ke claerah-daerahtransmigrasi,pembentukan llank Mu'alnalat.
pembentukan kelornpok-kelompok renraja maslicl,nrerebaknya kayian-kalian 'I'inggi.
Islam di berbagai kantpus Perguruan rneningkarnva lunriah untar lslam yang menunaikan haji clan berkernbangnya aktivitas-aktiv'itasdakwah d a n p e n g a l i a n - p c ' n g a l i u nb a i k d i k a l a n g a n n r a s y a r a k a tu n t L u l n r a u p u n c l r kalangan para birokrat dan para eksekutif.
Reinvigorasilsiant di l>idangpolitik ditandai cienganpernbenrukanICMI .
katan Cendekiawan Muslim se-lndonesi.
yang pendiriannl,a utendapat persetujuan cian resru ciari Presiden Soeharto sencliri Banvak tokoh-tokoh ICI\{I yang nter-rdllpatkanposisi-pe5i51 renting dalarn jabatanpolitik clan pemerintahan.
I n d i k a t o r - i n c l i k a t o rc l i a t a s ,d a l a r n p a n d a n g a n p e n r - r l i sr,l e r u p a k a n t a n d a -fanalt Air .
elsoalan tanda vang baik bagi kebangkitar-rkcnrl>ali Islanr di pcnting vang clihaclapir-rmatIslant untuk rlenuju ke ar:rlt kebangkrtan vang s e b e n a r n v aa d a l a h b a g a r m a n r m e n g h i l : r n g k a n .
p a l i n g t i c l a k m e n g r - r n r n g g r ,l p ant?ra entuslasrne aganla dan praktik-praktik sosial pade dararan kehidr-rpan Flal ini penting disaclarioleh umat Islarn.
karena masih banvak praktik vang tidak Islami vang i-rarusclihadapi clan ditanggr-rlangioleh nrereka sepeni keticiakadilan, penvalahgunaan kekuasaan.
den ctoii :.
ct-taciisiplin kerja vang lelnah.
Oleh karena itr.
r,rttenurut penulis, jrkr unrlt lsi.
rrn benarbenar serius r.
rntukmelnbangkitkan kerlbali lslam dan Llr"natnva, mc'rekahan-rs membangun suatu korelasi yang lebih baik antara entusiasme aganra nrereka dengan kerla-keryasosial pada dataran kehidupan nyata.
katidak, revil'alisme hen\,a akan merupakan suetu illusi Islarn dalam arti yang scsr-rngguir.
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A4t.
Azr4 ilent spring in Indonesia" reads the cover caption of Impact Interna tional t, reporting the rise of Islam in lndonesia in contemporaryyears.
lnside, the Islamic magazine, published in london.
which is usually critical of Indonesia, gives a lengthy rePort under the title "Silertt Spring:
like this:
JauaneseStyle".
The report begins with a strong statementruns After almost three decades of tension and conflict between Muslims and the New onder regime of President suharto, lndonesia aPPears to be going through a qurer revolution - a Javanesesryle! opinrons differ whether the changes thar have come are goocl enough or even wherher they represent ganu,n.
desire to change.
but there rs little controversy that the political climate of lndonesia has perceptibly changed" Then Impact International Eoes on to give some favorable prominent IndonesianMuslim leaders.
many of them used to be the most outspoken critics of the lndonesiangovemrnentsuch as Professor Anwar Har(DDII, lndonelono.
now heads the Dewan Dakwah Islamiyyahindonesia sranIslamlcPreachingCounci.
,and A.
Farwawho was paroled early this year after several years of inprisonment for his involvementin "preachingsubversionand plominga campaign of mental terror againstgovernment officials'' Conflict and Tension There is little doubt that Hariono and Fatwa representthe completion of rapptubemerlbetween Muslim gloups and the Indonesiangovemment Before then, as stated in the quotation above, there were tension and conflict berween the govemment and many Muslim Sroups' Any discussion of contemPorary Islamic renewal in lndonesia should include discussionof some political developments in Indonesia during the Neq.
,Order govemment under PresidentSoeharto.
As one might know Soeharto came to power in the aftermathof the abortive coup d'etat of the Indonesian Communist Parry (PKI) on 30 SePtember1965' Despite Muslims'preeminent role in massactions againstthe communists,Muslims later felt that they were abandonedand even marginalized.
As a result, tension and conflict berween Muslims and the govemment began to grow.
More specifically,there were severalmaior factorswhich contributed to tension and conflict between these two sides.
In the political field.
Muslim SrouPs felt that some Policies of the New Order govemment were apparently intended to uproot the influence of Islam govemfrom Indonesian politics.
In other words.
Muslim believed that the A\Pnn'ah.
SqrW (,.
rarv Islanttc Rqlenl iil lttdort6ta ment deliberately attempted to "depoliticize" Islam.
First of all, the New Order governrnent showed its marked disapproval of the Musiim attempts during the period of 1966-68to rehabilitate the Masjumi, a leading Islamic party which had been outlawed bv the Soekarno regime.
Not only that, the government also disapproved any attempt to establish a new lslamrc political party.
Tension exacerbated when, n I917, the government coopted older Islamic political parties by way of therr fusion into the United Development Party .
, and imposition of its leadership.
The tusion proved only to be the beginning of the long and bitter struggles among various tactions in the p itself, that it was unable to function as smoothly as expected.
On top of this, in 1985 the government enacted a law which required all social and political organizations to adopt the state ideology 'Ihis means that IsPancasila as the sole fbundation of their organizations.
lamic organizations had to erase the word "lslam" fiom their statutes.
All of these policies unavoidably created strong impression among Muslims that what the government had been doing was simply to "depoliticize" Islarn fiom Indonesian political lif-e.
The tension ran higher when the governl.
nentcontinuecl to .
unch political purge and sun'eilance on Muslirns who used to be proponents of the Dir al-lslarnand Indonesian Islarnic Army (DI/TII) movernents.
This was fbllowed bv a series of military suppression of "lslamic extremists" whom had been 'Kornando claimed by the rnilitary to be the rnernbers ot the Jihad" (Jihad to overthrow Several Cornman.
strongiy colored by this background, took place berween 1982 to 1985 in Barnclung,Taniung Priok.
Gloclok (Jakart.
,Tasikmalaya.
Borobudur.
Aceh, and Lampung.
In more purely religious rezrlm,the introduction of the National Marriage Bill 0972-1.
bv the government soon created furor and anger among Muslims.
For Muslims, rnost stipulations of the Bill contradicted the shari'ah .
slamic l:r.
This wlls soon regarded by Muslirns as a st:rrk attempt to rernove the influence of shari'ah frorn Inclonesian legal system.
As a result, groups of Muslim youth staged protests and demonstration right at the front of the parliament building.
Finally, the Bill was accepted only in 1974 atter significant substantive revision.
Later, in 1978, controversy was again on air when the government officially recognized the Javanese "aliran kebatinan" or "aliran kepercayaan" as a iegitimate cultural spiritual tradition.
!7ith the recognition, the aliran '| I Jan r'ulr.
:\i t.
59/ I ()<Xt A:t4tDUrdt ATA kepercayaan deserved government's treatment as distinct groups tirat were different fiom any other religious groups.
The government, however, fell short of recognizing the aliran kepercayaan as a religion.
Despite that, for many Muslims.
'ing the aliratt keperca.
yaarl as some kind of deviation fiom lslam, the recognition simply rneant that the realm of influence of lslam had been reduced significantlr'.
Furthermore, manv Muslirrts believed that all these policies were onlv a portion of a much larger plot to destroy Islarn in lndonesia.
Vatikiotis has confirmed this bv pointing out, for instance.
that there is evidence that the radical Islarnic movements .
ucl'r es the DI/TII) mav have intisgated in the 1970sand 1980sby the state fbr the purpose of cetnenting political support.
is believed, fbr example.
Ali Murtopo la leading Nen' Order mastermindl brought together former leaders of the V'est .
lavabased Der allslarn revolt.
I'hrch had been crushed bv the arntv in the 196()s.
He actually asked thern to reactivate the l.
The real reason behind this n'as Murtopo's desire to discredit Islalnic political forces.
ln the next two years, hundreds of peopie were arrested and accused of belonging to an extremist Sroup known as "Komando lihad" r.
It is through such engineering that Islarn and Muslims were discredited and cornered to seerningly political abyss.
Against this background.
it is hard for one to irnagine especiallf in the first half of the 1980s.
that there would be a Islalnic revival in contemporan' Beyond anyone expectation, however.
Islam lndonesia by the end of the 1980s began to show some convinctng signs of revival.
I have argued elsewhere that this Islamic revival is due to some changes at both domestic ancl international levels ".
But fbr the purpose of this paper.
I q'ill confine myself to some discussion on domestic changers only.
Turning Point for Reinvigoration The f'act that reinvigoration of Islam is now taking place in Indonesia has been the subiect of discussion among both Indonesian and foreign scholars.
Regardlessof the level of that reinfigoration, they generally admit that Islam is coming back with new vigor.
Re.
ecting on tension and conflict berween Muslims and the government.
Schwarz, fbr instance, devotes a long chapter of his book, entitled "lslam: Coming in from the Cold?" According to Schwarz, by the late 1980s, a revival of lslamic consciousnesswas underway in lndonesia.
The turning point of Islarnic reinvigoration, it seems, vv'asthe acceptance Al-lani alr.
No.
J9/19%
(,i )ttl.
Islatxtc Rataul in htckntaia of Pancasila by Muslim mass organizations as the sole ideological fbundation of their socio-political activities.
It proved to have ended rhe relativelv long mutual suspicion, tension, and conflict berween the Muslim ummab in ge neral on the one hand and the governrnent on the other.
As a resuit, the subsequent cleveioplnents of islamic lif'e run rnore smoothly.
The Muslim actrvities to ctevelop anci irnprove \,'anous aspects of islarnic tif-e are no longer seen by the governtnent as a threat to the state ideology and poiitical stabiliby.
Befbre provicling a cletailed cliscussion on some signs of Islamic rein',igoration in Indonesia, it is goocl to quore a list issued by the Council lndonesian Ulama .
, n'hich indicrtes the changes of governmenr arritude towards Islam.
The list, published in the ottlcial magazine of the MUI.
,v.
mbar ulama.
{' enurnerates nineteen iterns of government's most significent contribution to irnproving Islamic lit'e and Nluslim cornmunity.
Law No.
2, 1989 on National Educarion which stipulares religious education, and guarantees the exitence ot l.
slanriceciLrcationalinstitutions.
Ltw No.
1 9 8 9 ,o n t h e I s l a m i c R e l i g i o u sC o u r r .
3 ) .
P r e s i c l e n t i aIln s t r u c t i o n N o .
1 , 1 9 9 1 ,
on the cornpilation of Islamic jurispruclence.
Reconstruction of sorne 400 nosquesbv the Yayas:rnArnal Bakti Nlu.
slirnPanca.
silachaired bv president Soeharto.
Dispatching of 1.
t100Muslim preachers ro rernote regions of r:ransnugratlon,financed by a Foundation heacteclbir PresicrentSoeirarto: .
(-onstructton encl cxtension of a number oi transit complexes fbr Inclonesran constructlon of fbur lrai trosprralsin memory of the Incloneslan vrctims of the 1990 tragedv rn Nlina.
Arab Sar,rdi.
Intensive training program for ther rnadrasab ctliyabi .
Upgrading of tl-re IAIN staff through rete programs including oversees stuclies.
Arabic lnstrLtctton -l-\'RI.
through the national television, l l ).
Irresident Instrucrion No.
2,7997 on the resulation of l.
talal fbocl lbr Nluslint.
prontotion ctf traqf lancl ccrtificationr .
Conf'erencesand rneerings of Ministers of Religious \tfairs of Brunei, lndonesia, ancl Malavsia on comrnon l.
shrnic calenclar,etc.
1 4 ) .
F u l l s u p p o r t f o r t i r e I s t i q l a l F e s t r v a l .
1 5 ) .
P r o r n o r r o no f Q u r ' a n r e a c l i n g and writing rnoventent.
l6 ).
Formation of the ICMI.
Establishrnentof Bank lluamalat .
slarnicBan.
Establishrnenrof and aicl to rnosque libraries througirout the country.
Asistance ro the construction and irnprovernent of the pesAnlren.
This list, clearly shows that a new course of Islam has emergecl by the Iate 1980s.
Nluslim leaclersfiorn that tirne onwards have been ancl are rvilling to establish a sort of svmbiotic relationship with rhe ruling elite which has .
-la,u dlt
,\"
1996 A4ilnvrcli Ava shown its favor to Islam and Muslim society.
The obiect of this strategy is principally to further the national development of the country as well as to provide Islam with a sense of legitimacy and respectabiliry.
It is expected thar, by charting this kind of course, development and improvement of Islamic life can be carried out in a more systematic way.
Moreover, with this nee' course, the image of Islam is also changing.
As Nakamura points out.
Islam has becorne .
nd is becomin.
something beautiful, respectable, modern relevan, fashionable, and even entertaining.
Islanr was .
nd i.
rediscovered as something to be proud.
It must be admitted that the new course of Islam mentioned above is more cuhural than political.
It is apparent that tensron and conf-lictin tire past originated mostly fiom government's suspicion of political Islam.
In thts respecr it is important to note that, despite government's hostilit,v of Muslirn politics, the government provides ample room for the growth of a more cultural and spiritual expression of tslam.
Though all this is not without political implications, especially since 1990swhen many observers begin to talk about the return of "political Islam" to Indonesian politics.
Therefbre.
one should be very careful not to attribute the reinvigoration of Islam in Indonesia to a single factor like politics.
There are sotne other mafor fhctors working in Indonesian sociery as a whole which in one way or another dictate the course of Islam towards reinvigoration and renewal.
One of the malor factors that contributes significantlv to Islamic cultural reinvigoration is place the government accorded to religron.
Run contrary to the assertion of manv \flestern observers that Indonesia is a "secular" state, the Indonesian government has always emphasized that religion plays an important role in national lif'e and development.
It is formally stated in various guidelines and regulations of the national development that the ultimate aim of lndonesian development is the creatton of a iust.
religious society.
a sociery which enioys not only material progress, but also spiritual well-being.
Thus, in the Indonesian lif-e and national development, religion is assigned a prominent role.
Being the vast maiority of the lndonesian population, it is the Muslims who would undoubtedly reap most benefit from such a perspective.
In the field of education, religious instruction is compulsory fiom elementary schools to university.
Again, because maiority of Indonesian students are Muslim, religious instruction are mainly on Islam.
Furthennore.
Muslims have their own priveleges in the educational field by having a dis- Al-lan t'ab.
No.
59/ I 996
ContemryJrary Islan k Reneunl tn Indofl67a tinctive Islamic educationalinstitutions fiorn the elementary level to the higher This privelege is recognized offir:ially in the recent.
/ enacted National Education Laq' of 1989 I'his law i.
s considered by Muslirrs not only as a recognition of the importance r:rfIsllrnic ecltrcation.
but also as a corner st()ne for the reinvigoration of Islant in Inclonesiu bv r"'urvof education.
As fnr as Islarnic education is cc>ncernecl.
in aclclitionto public schoois tsekolctlttregcr.
- \\/hich arc aclnrinistercdbv the Departrnent of Education a n c l C t r l t r - r r et.
h e r e i s a s i g , n i f i c : t n nt u n i b c r o f I s i a r l i c s c h o o l s ( m a d r a s a b ) 'l'hroughor.
l n c l o n e s i at h e r e a r e r n a n r r s e db v t h e I ' l i n i s t n ' o f l t e l i g i o u sA l l a i r s .
n ( ) \ \ ' o v e r 2 1 .
( X ) 0I s l .
r r n i cr e i i g i o r - rcsl e r u e n t a n - s c h ( ) ( ) l rsr,o l c p o p u l l r r l , vc a l l e c l ' ' t t t a c l r a s c t litb t i d c r ' i .
y ' a L t " : : r r o u n{ .
c5l ( ) ( )I s l a n r i cr e l i g i r .
r u sj u n i o r h i g h s c h o o l .
, .
t rt n a d r a s u b l s u t t a u ' i l ' c t bl n c l 1 ) 1r ' p l .
J ( ) ( ) l s l a r t t i c r e l i g i o r - r s s e n i o r h i g h s c h o ( ) l s , 'l'otlil rt rnorlrctsul.
enrolittcnt ol lrll thcsc rnurlruscrLts surore than 8 r l r l l i o n p r - r p i l .
es n c l s t r .
r c l c n t sA t t h e l c v e l o f h i g h e r e d u r c a t i o n .
s i r l c b v s i c l e u ' r t h t h c 4 2 s t a t e p u b l r c u r n i v e r s i t i e st h , ere arc nou'l4 statc Islarlic unluersir l e s t h r ( ) u g h ( ) L lItn c l o n c s r aE : r c l io f t h c l r t l N .
u n c l e rt h c a e g i so f t h e N l i n i s r n ' o f ("TheoR c l i g i o r - rA s f t u i r s .
r - r s u a l l tc' o n s i s t s o f h u s f i r ' c f a c r - r l t i e sI :r s h r .
r l u c l d i n ( l s l a n i i c E c l u c l l t l ( ) n )A , clab .
slamic i o g r " ) .
S y a r i ' u h ( l s l : r r r r i cL a * ) .
I l i s t o r - ru n c l A r : r l r i c [ .
i t c n r t u r .
, u n c l I ) l k l ' u h ( l s l : r r t r i cI ') r o p u u : r t i o r .
l s l u n r i c e c l u c a t r o nr r r a n a g c cbl r ' l r r r v l t c s c c t ( ) l sj s a l s o i r n p r o v r n g s r g n i i i l d u c u t i c t n a il n s t i t u t i o n s ) , c a n t l ) ' T h e p e s a t l r c r i .
s ( l s l a n r i cl r o a r c l i n gt r a c l i t i o n a e s ' h i c h i n t h e p a s t \ v e r c n r a i n l v l o c a t e c li n r r .
r r l l a r e a s o f - f a v a .
l r c g l i n i n g p o p u l a r i t l ' .
t h e y ' a r c n o u ' s p r e a d i n gt h r o u g l t ( ) u tt h e c ( ) u n l r ] .
N 1 a n yo f t i r e n e n pesantrens are establisheclin urban areas.
like -Jakarta Thc contc-nt of the pesantrell education has also been impro'"'ecl''r ith the inclusic-rnof rnr-rdern sciences, ancl technological kno*'ho*'.
Manl' of the pesantrens provide privatc public schools, ancl madrasah at various ler,'el.
Not least important, more ancl more pesantren cornplexes have rnodern, big, and bcautiful buildings Thus, pesantrens are no longer associatecls.
'ith nrral culture ancl backwarclness.
They arc becoming a syrnbc-,Iof pride arnong Muslims.
Meanwhile, lndonesia has also improved the position of Islarnic legal The Shari'ah Coun .
eradilatt agam.
, which has a long history in lndonesia, is now on the equal status wih the other three courts: public court, administrative court, and military court.
This is enacted in the Islamic Court Law of No.
7,7989.
Furthermore, in the framework of the reconstruction of the national legal system, the Supreme Coun and Department of Religious Affairs recently completed a ioint project on the codification of the Is- AlJann'ab, l,lo.
5Y19%
A4unardlAzra lamic lurisprudence, with the objective of publishing law books and manual for the Shari'ah judges.
The improved economic conditions of the Muslims has allowed them to build many Islamic-related buildings.
mosques, madrasah, and pesantrens.
Ti'rgusands of ncw mosques have been and are being built every where.
most t'ith the initiative and financial resources of the Muslirn society itself.
The rcst are built financial aid corning fronr the govemnlent.
President Soeharto hirlself is the chairrnan of the Yayasan Arnal Bakti Muslim Pancasila wl-rich ltas built irundreds ol-ner',' lnosques in various places in Indonesia.
Most of thcsc ner.
,'llosques are built using troclern technology ancl architecture.
Despitc tircir significant increase, these Inosques apparentll' can not accolodarc the enthusiast Muslints, espccially during the Fridal' congregational pr:ivcr.
For that rcason ntany governnlent offices ancl hotels considered it ne('essaryto hold the Friclav praycrs at their o"vn places.
According to some rough cstimation, young pcople comprising up to 85 per cent of attendance in many r.
nosquesin solne places.
lt is not surprising, t h e r c f ' o r c , t h a t t h e r e a r e n o w b l o o m i n g a s s o c i a t i o n so f " R e n l a i a M a s j i d " .
vlos<1r-re Yout.
throughout the country A wide range of social ancl religious out by these associations,fiom sports and ntartial arts t.
acriviriesare c--arried academic, and religious discussions.
Most of the nretnbers of tltese rthassociationsare recruited from among senior high school and university srudents,but many younger and older people also iclin them.
These assr-rciariqns of Mosque Youths held their first national convcntion in March 1980 in n'irich their refonnulated progratns emphasized the intportance of the fifteenth century of the Hijrah as the Revival Century of Islarn.
Iiurther indications of lslamic resurgence in Indonesia are aiso evident on unir,'ersity campuses.
Pafticularly during the fasting month of Ramadan, man\, campuses are full with mafor religious activities, as if there n'ere convertecl to Islamic centers.
Such programs as the "Ramadan on Campus" -as has become increasingly popular among universiry students.
The 1.
rogram of the Rarnadan on Campus includes such socio-cultural and stuclentscall it- religious activies, unconventional flor many Muslims, as poetry readings, clraras,and even musical shows, besides of course, the traditional tarauib (Raradan niglrtly prayer.
, tadarnts (Qur'anic studie.
, and religious lectures ancl discussions.
Most Indonesian university campuses now have their own monques.
The nrost prominent among them is the Salman Mosque on the campus of the Allamt'&.
No.
5Y19%
Conof,Frary Islantk Ranannl ln ln&n6la Institut Teknologi Bandung .
TB, or Bandung lnstiture of Technolog.
, one of the most prestigious centers of higher learning in Indonesia.
The Salman Mosque has in many ways been a prororype of the universiry mosques elsewhere in Indonesia.
It plays a leading role in transforming mosques from merely places for worship into multipurpose centers for the Muslim religious, social and cultural activities.
As Hefner observes.
Salman-inspired religious activities became a prominent feature of campus life at every major universiry during the 1970s and early 1980s.
Again with regard to Islarnic reinvigoration in Indonesia, it i.
snecessary to mention the continued increase of the number of Indonesian haj pilgrims to Mecca.
In the last several years rnore and more lndone.
sian Muslims rnade their pilgrimage.
since 1993 the toral number of Indonesian pilgrims are the largest among all Muslim counrries excepting Saudi Arabia.
In the last halseason .
, almosr 20o.
oo0lndonesian pilgrims made their pilgrirnage to the Holy Land.
It is important to note that President Soeharro himself and lris family made their pilgrimage in 1991.
Since rhen more and more governInent high ofllcials fbllowed the suit.
ancl eaclr year the leaclcr of Indonesiarr haj contingent .
mir al-hqfl was a minister of the cabinet.
the Indonesiarr antir alJ.
taj for the 1996 \al seasonwas rhe Armv Cornnrander.
General Faisal Tanjung.
Last but nor least, anorher significant clevelopment also took place.
ln Decenrber 1990, a new important lslamic organization was fbnned: it is the Ikatan cendekiawan Muslim se-lndonesia .
cMI, or All-lndonesian Muslim Intellectual Associatio.
rvhich is chaired by Minister o[ Researchand -I'echnology.
Prof'essorB.
l Habibie.
The fbrmarion of the lcMI was undoubteclly blessed by President Soehano himself.
vithout soehano's blessing it is unimaginable that the formation of the IGMI was so smooth.
Furthermore, with his blessing, the ICMI is able ro include among irs leadership long serving cabinet rninisters, independet rntellecruals,and even critical non-governmental Muslim leaders.
The ICMI has been ser up as a sounding board fbr Muslim input into public policy, rather than as a mass-based political vehicle.
help formulate and voice Muslim views, the ICMI launched its own newspaper.
Republika, and its own think-tank, the Center for Information and Development Studies (CIDES).
The ICMI is also instrumenral in the founding of the Bank Mu'amalat .
slamic Ban.
which recently also includes the Takafullslamic Insurance, and the Bank Perkreditan Rakyat (BPR.
People's Credir Bank.
which now have spread throughout the country.
Al$mr'ab.
IVo.
A4n nardl Azra The ICMI plays an important role in the establishment of various new institutions, but supposedly also in the appointments of several ICMI top leaders into high offices such as ministries in the latest Indonesian cabinet or governorshrp at the provincial level.
Considering this, it would be a mistake, to view ICMI in religious terms only.
It is right that at one level, the ICMI can be seen as a natural product of the process of lslatnic revivalism, but a numbcr of political objectives are also being sen'ed bv tlre organization.
tl-refinal lnall'sis, the risc of ICI'tl has been seen by some obsen'ers as thc " r e t u n r " o f p o l i t i c a l I s l a m i n t o I n c l o n e s i a np o l i t i c s .
csprte some ongoing discusstn <.
n rvhether or not thc' ICMI rcpresents r h e r c t u r n o f p o l i t i c a l I s l a r l i n I n c i o n e s i : ti.
t s r i .
s eh a s a l s o b c c n s c c n l ' r t ' t n a n l anci po\\'cr of lndoobsen'ers as a consequcnce of the grovu'ingcrlr-rsoliclution nesian Nluslim rniclclleclass.
lloth lJefner ancl Nakarttura havc convincingly shorvn us that it is thc Nes' Orclcr .
()\'crnnlentrr']ri.
t is ntrinlY responsible f o r b r i n g i n g t h i s M u .
s l i mm i d c l l e c l a s s i n t o c x i s t e n c e .
N a k a l n t r r a i s m o r e explicit in delincating this neq'class ls Santli middle classrr The tern't " s a n t r i " r e f e r s o f ' c o u r s e t o s t r i c t M u s l i n t a s ( ) p p o s e c lr o a b a t t g a r t , n o m i nal Muslim.
One of rnain factors of the rise of santri middle class is the cxpansion of higlrer eclucatron which in turn creates q'hat sonte observ'ers call "Mr-rslini rntellectual boor.
And a small portion of thrs netv rising ,Muslirnintellectuals got their higher education abroacl.
Many of this santri rnidclle ciass then occupy irnportant position in social, political, ancl econornic lives.
As Vatikicxis concludes, rapid urbaniz tion ancl accessto education have swollen the nurnber of practising Muslirns who nos' belong to the country upn'arclly mobile, indigenous rniddle class.
They brought Islamis religious belief into bureaucratic and business circlcs close to the ruling elite.
ri Moreover, this santri middle class in turn contributes not only to tlte flnance of various Islamic activities, but also to the growth of a new image of lslam as nlentionecl above.
They, fbr insunce, hold Islamic activitiesin prestigioushotels.
esulbish discus.
sion groups, like the Yayasan Paramadina.
go to pilgrimage on the so-called ONH-plus which includes accommodation in five-star hotels in Mecca and Medina.
send their children to socially prestigious Islamic schools, such as the Azhar schools in Jakarta.
Signigicant changes have aiso taken placc in the field of dakunb,lslamic In the past, the govemment was very sensitive to dahuab for nranl' Ir.
slim preachers had made use the dakutab activities as good oppor- Al-Jmt&.
No.
5Y1996
Conbnp,ary Islomk RenaMl h h M tunities to bitterly criticize government.
Thus, in the government point of view, the dabwab activities had been too political.
Therefore, the government imposed some restricrions of the freedom of speech which was expressed through dahtab activities.
For instance, dahttab in the form pengajiart umum .
ublic religious meeting.
required permit front police.
this could lead to arrest of those mainly responsible for the pengajiart umltm under question.
Now, permits are no longer necessary tor dakwab activities.
There is noq' freer circulation of preachers in the whole country.
This freedom of daku,ab has been a key f'actorof Muslirns'satisfaction,fbr rrs also reflecrs rhat the daku,ab has gained a new legitirnacy and respectability.
This legitimacy and respectability, furthermore, are conferred by the presence of government officials at the petryajiart umutn, or by the use of government's buildings fbr pengajian utnutn purposes.
Because of these nen' legitimacy and respectability, the pengajian umum audience has widened considerably.
Its audience now is not limited to common peoples, but also includes civil servants who used to be reluctant to attend sr-rchreligious meetings.
Before long, the pengajian umum has prolifereted throughout t.
e counln'.
And nen' rising stlrs ernong preachcrsnon' erc K FI.
ainuclclinN17,.
tnIAIN graduare.
Qasirn Nur.
a religious teacher ol President Soeharto's farnily.
and Tuty Alawiyah.
chief of the AsSyafi'iyah Pesantren in.
Zainuddin MZ clraws crowds of thousands to large stadiums and, therefbre, is dubbed by many as the "Kiyai Seluta Ummat" .
reacherof one rnillion umma.
The clahutab activities is now also expanding in television.
Each of'the six television channels has program of Islarnic morning fbrum.
Dunng the last Ramadan, these six television channels were full of Islamic programs ranging frorn simple lectures and discussions to poerry reading and musical shows with lslarnic themes.
It appears that such programs command a wide As far as the dakuab movement is concerned, a prominent role is apparently remains to be played by large and established organizations such as the Muhammadiyah and the Nahdhatul Ulama.
Both of these organizations, in addition to social-education programs, make dakuab as an important Owing to their nationwide existence, those two organizations are able to carry out dakuab activities both in the urban and rural Al-bml'ab.
A4unardlAna Conclusion As has been indicated above, a maior factor of Islamic reinvigoration is economic development.
As Schwarz rightly points out the New Order government began on the edge of an economic abyss.
Export revenues were stagnanr or sliding.
investment had trickled aimost to a stop.
factories are operating at a fraction of capacity and with outdated equipment.
had topped 1000 percent a year.
infrastructure was cn-rnibling.
and the governrnent was running a massive budget deflsit.
In less than three clecades.
Dy most tne:isllr(]s.
Indonesta's econoly has perfornled q'ell since Soehartc> took po'nvcr.
Frortr l9.
5 to 1988, ntacro econorlic gron'th plus a successful familV planning prograltt cotn.
inecl to raise Indonesia's per capitlr gross na'I'his is a .
ettcr perfbrrnancc than ruo.
tional proch.
rctbr' 4,3 per cent a vear of lndonesia's neighbors in SoutheastAsia and alnrost oil exporting cconom\' That is *'hy Schrvarz.
and sonre othcr obsen'ers begin to call Inclor-resiaas "the emergrng tlger".
'5Retter economic performltnce h:ts resulteciin the porertv allevratron which stands as onc of the most inlp()rtant achievements of the Nerv Orcler.
In 1970 almo.
st6Ctper ccnt of Indonesian werc living bclo"l' thc poverty line .
Br' 1990, the figure had dropped to 15 per cent According t() Vorld Bank report 1990.
Indonesia hacl the highest annual recluction in the incidence of pc,ivertyamong all countries studied.
Tfterc is n9 doubt that this annual reduction of povcr.
' takes placc tnostll' among Muslints who constitute the largest single maioritf in Inclonesia (-onsidering our di.
scussionabove, it is clear that Muslirns' cc:onomic itt.
t1'rrovement has positivcl,v conrributecl to the increase of Muslirrts' attachment tcr Thcrcfore.
a crucial question now is hovt' to ntarntatn thc econonltc growth of Indoncsia.
Once Indonesia loses the monlentuln of economic One might expect that it would leave some negative ef'fectson the revival of Islamic lif-e.
Another important issue that should be dealt with by lndonesian Muslim leaders and activist towards the real Islamic revival in Indonesia i.
s how to eliminate or at least to reduce, the gap befween Muslim religious enthusiasrn ancl their actual social practices.
I have shown above that there is a good number of the signs of lslamic resurgence, but at the same time un-Islamic practices are still widespread.
the most obvious ones are.
rampant corruption, injustices, pos/er abuse, weak social ethics and disipline.
Therefore, if Indonesian Muslims are serious about the revival of Islam in Indonesia rhey should really establish a better correlation between their Al-Jamt'ah.
No.
Cilttenpart Islonb Rersul rn hfu religious enthusiasm and their actual social practices.
otherwise, the real Islamic revival is onlv an illusion.
End Notes:
ImWt International, lD5.
VoL25.
No.
12,December .
Azyumardi Azra, "Tlte Indonesnn Maffiage l^aw of 1974 .
An Institutionalization of tbe S.
yari-afor Social Cbanges".
Isttqra.
No 6.
Vol.
6, pp.
Michael RJ.
Vatikiotis.
Indonesian Politics under Subano.
New & Updated, london & New York.
Routledge, 1994, pp.
Azylumardi Azn, "Glofulization of Indonesian Muslim Discource : contemporary Religio-Intellecnul Connections bturen lndonesia and tbe Middle Easl' , paper presenred at the Intemational Conference on Islam and the Twenry-first Cenrury.
Leiden Universiry.
The Netherlands, 1996.
Adam Schwarz.
A Natiort in Waitirtg : Irtdonesia in tbe 19X)s.
Boulder.
Vesrvieq' Press, 1994.
No.
June 1992, pp.
Cited in Mitsuo Nakamura.
"Tlte Emeryence of an Islamizing Middle Class and tbe Dialectics of PoWical Islam in tbe Neur Order Indonesia .
Prclude to tbe Formation of tbe ICMI', paper presented at the Conference on "Islam and Social Construction of Identities : Comparative Perspectives on Southeast Asian Muslims".
Center for Southeast Asian Studies, the Universiry of Hawaii.
1993, pp.
, p.
Munawir Siadzali, "Keynote Adress to the Intemational Seminar on New Trends in Islamic studies", in his Kiprab Pembangunan Agana nrcnuju Tirrygal Landas.
Jakana.
Ministry of Religious Affairs, 1986, pp 789-194 .
Roben rV.
Hefner, "Islam.
State.
and Ciul Soctety' ICMI and tbe Stntgglefor tbe lndonesian Middle Clasl', paper presented for the Conference on "lslarn and rhe Social Constnrctron of ldentities : Compararive Perspectiveson SoutheastAsian Muslims".
Center for SoutheastAsian Studies.
the Universrry of Hawari, 1993, p 13 .
Cf.
Syafi'i Anwar.
Pemikiran dan Aksi Islam Indonesia : Sebuah Kalian Politik tentang cendektaunn Muslim orde Banr.
Jakana.
Paramadina, 1995: Robert v.
Hefner.
, and Mitsuo Nakamura, loc.
Miauo Nakamura, op.
, pp 8-9 .
Michael RJ.
Varikionis, op cit , p.
Ibkl.
Andre Feillard , "Traditionalist Islam and tbe State in Indonesia : Ftexiktity.
Iegitimac.
y, and Renewl', paper presented at the Crnference on "Islam and the Social Reconstruction of ldentities : Comparative Perspectives on Southeast Asian Muslims".
Center for SoutheastAsian Studies, the Universiry of Hawaii, 1993, pp 34-35 .
Adam Schwarz, op.
, pp.
52-59, cf.
John Bresnan.
Managing Indonesia : Tbe Mdern PoLtical Econorny.
New York.
Columbia University Press, 1993.
Vorld Bank.
World Bank Deuelopment Rqor7.
Oxford : O:<ford Universiry Press,1991, p.
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