69

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

LEGALITY: JURNAL ILMIAH HUKUM
Journal homepage: http://www.ejournal.umm.ac.id/index.php/legality

The Dimensions of Leadership in Strengthening
and Institutionalising Religious Moderation in
Muhammadiyah
Syamsul Arifin1*, Umiarso2, Nafik Muthohirin3, Ahmad Nur Fuad4

1,2,3 Faculty of Islamic Studies, University of Muhammadiyah Malang, Malang, East Java, 65144,

Indonesia
3 Eötvös Loránd (ELTE) University, Budapest, 1053, Hungary
4 Islamic Studies, Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Ampel Surabaya, Surabaya, East Java, 60237,
Indonesia
* Corresponding author: syamsarifin@umm.ac.id
Article

Abstract

Keywords:
Ideology; Leadership;
Strengthening;
Institutionalizing;
Moderate; Muhammadiyah

This study focuses on the leadership aspect of Muhammadiyah by emphasising the
thoughts and contributions of Haidar Nashir as the Central Board of
Muhammadiyah. Therefore, this study relies on written sources, especially those
written by Haidar Nashir. Religious moderation is a prominent theme in
Indonesia at the end of the second decade of the 2000s. Not only is it the idea of
a thinker or intellectual, but it has even become one of the strategic development
policies in Indonesia as stated in the 2020-2024 National Medium-Term
Development Plan (RPJM) prepared by the Indonesian Ministry of National
Development Planning/ National Development Planning Agency
(PPN/Bappenas), based on Presidential Regulation No. 18 of 2020. The
Ministry of Religion, as the technical ministry in charge of religious life, has
published several documents related to religious moderation. As one of the moderate
Islamic religious organisations and movements, Muhammadiyah is an interesting
subject of study to examine its links and continuity with the idea of religious
moderation. Rather than as a normative study in the field of law that uses
legislation as primary material, this study seeks to reveal the substantive aspects of
the religious moderation policy linked to Muhammadiyah's efforts to strengthen
and institutionalise religious moderation in Muhammadiyah. The results of this
study will later show that the appearance of Muhammadiyah as a moderate Islamic
ideology, organisation, and movement cannot be separated from the figure of the
Muhammadiyah leader, who has a strong, moderate character.

Article History
Received: Oct 31, 2024;
Reviewed: Nov 25, 2024;
Accepted: Dec 19, 2024;
Published: Dec 23, 2024.

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

70

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

Copyright ©2024 by Author(s); This work is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. All writings
published in this journal are personal views of the authors and do not represent
the views of this journal and the author's affiliated institutions.

INTRODUCTION
Muhammadiyah is one of the examples of religious organisations and movements in
Indonesia that can be used as a role model for at least three aspects. First, a critical and
contextual understanding of religion. Like Islam in other regions, Islam in Indonesia also
develops in a dialectic that Saeed calls unity and diversity (Saeed, 2003). As one of the
countries with the largest Muslim population in an archipelago, diversity in various
aspects, such as understanding, movements, and religious organisations, is inevitable.
Muhammadiyah is one form of manifestation of diversity that is typical of Indonesia, and
it has survived and developed for more than a century. One of the factors contributing to
Muhammadiyah's survival is the continuous development of religious understanding or
Islamic intellectualism (Rudin et al., 2020).
Muhammadiyah emerged as a form of response to stagnation in religion. For
Muhammadiyah, Islam is a religion that contains an ethos of change, progress, and siding
with the weak. Islam in Indonesia, which has a long history and is embraced by most of
its population, in Muhammadiyah's view, has not been able to realise this ethos.
Approaching the birth of Muhammadiyah, Muslims in Indonesia were in a state of
malaise, as was the condition of Muslims globally, a worrying condition because, as
described in The Islamization of Knowledge: General Principles and Work Plan (Thought, 1989),
Muslims were in a state of being defeated, massacred, double-crossed, colonised, and
exploited, proselytised, forced or bribed into conversion to other faiths. Facing this
condition, Muhammadiyah responded by developing religious understanding as was done
by reconstructionists (Hoodbhoy, 1991), progressive ijtihadists (Saeed, 2006), or
contextualists (Saeed, 2005, 2008), who attempted to reinterpret a religious text to suit the
spirit of modern civilisation, a style of interpretation commonly used by modernistreformists.
What is interesting about Muhammadiyah is that the understanding constructed
especially by Ahmad Dahlan, which can be said to have played a role called “individuals
to beget ideas”, as Collins said (Collins, 2009), did not stop at discourse but continued to
an effort that, if borrowing Kuntowijoyo's expression (Kuntowijoyo, 1997), is called
objectification, namely the concretisation of internal religious beliefs and understandings
into objective realities, or "social enterprise" (Latief & Nashir, 2020), such as educational
and health institutions that can even realise public welfare (Qodir et al., 2021) because
non-Muslims can also feel their benefits. As a reform phenomenon, as happened in other
regions, for example, Europe, as McGrath's study (McGrath, 1988), Ahmad Dahlan's

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

71

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

thoughts, and thus Muhammadiyah, provided benefits to a social context in which
religious understanding was developed.
The ability to objectify beliefs and understanding is the second role model of
Muhammadiyah. Muhammadiyah's ability to establish various institutions, referred to by
Muhammadiyah as a social enterprise (Amal Usaha Muhammadiyah), can also be a good
example of managing various potentials in a modern organisation (Qodir et al., 2020).
Kuntowijoyo also added that Muhammadiyah can be used as an example of the success
of the Islamic movement in transforming from a communal pattern to an associational
pattern (Kuntowijoyo & AE, 2008). With this pattern, Muhammadiyah, Kuntowijoyo
emphasised, has expanded the reach of its movement, from what initially developed
around Kauman in Yogyakarta, then developing not only on the island of Java but even
throughout Indonesia.
Another characteristic of the Islamic movement that uses an associational pattern,
according to Kuntowijoyo, is the change in the relationship between leaders and
followers, which was originally paternalistic to a democratic relationship (Kuntowijoyo &
AE, 2008). Muhammadiyah cannot be separated from and is identical to its founder,
Ahmad Dahlan. Ahmad Dahlan is the epicentre of Muhammadiyah, which, with the
renewal of his religious understanding, was then objectified into various institutions that
benefit society. From its founding until a decade later, 1912-1923, Muhammadiyah was
led by Ahmad Dahlan. Since the death of Ahmad Dahlan, the founder and leader of
Muhammadiyah, from 1912 to 1923, Muhammadiyah has experienced fifteen changes in
leadership. At the 48th Muktamar National Congress in Solo, Haedar Nashir was again
trusted as the Central Board of Muhammadiyah for the second term, 2022-2027. The
characteristics of Muhammadiyah's modernity can be seen in the regularity of leadership
changes, especially at the top level in the Muhammadiyah organisational hierarchy: the
Central Board of Muhammadiyah.
This study is based on the thesis that the survival and development of
Muhammadiyah has even been able to exceed the age of one century because
Muhammadiyah is an Islamic organisation and movement that has a moderate and
progressive character; where this character is understood, experienced and lived by all
members of the organisation and its leaders. This study then aims to reveal the moderateprogressive leadership character of Muhammadiyah as one of the factors in
Muhammadiyah's survival and development for more than a century. Because of the
moderate leadership, Muhammadiyah is seen as responsive to various Islamic
intellectualist discourses in Indonesia, such as religious moderation.
METHOD
This study examines the strengthening and institutionalisation of religious
moderation in Muhammadiyah. The interest in this theme is the policy of the Ministry of
Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia on religious moderation launched in 2019.

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

72

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

After the policy was issued, religious moderation became an interesting subject of study
that inspired academics to conduct further studies and resulted in several publications in
various forms, such as books, articles, and posters. In 2024, a book entitled “Jalan Baru
Moderasi Beragama: Mensyukuri 66 Tahun Haedar Nashir” (The New Way to Religious
Moderation: Grateful for 66 Years of Haedar Nashir) was published. Haidar Nashir is the
General Chairperson of the Central Board of Muhammadiyah. Haidar Nashir has a
scientific reputation, as demonstrated by his productivity in writing, especially on topics
related to Muhammadiyah, Islam, and social issues. Among Muhammadiyah, Haidar
Nashir has also gained recognition as a Muhammadiyah ideologue. Therefore, this study
uses Haidar Nashir's writings as the main source, in addition to several official
Muhammadiyah publications, as listed in the bibliography of this article. The collected
data were then analysed and presented systematically (Al-Fatih & SIboy, 2021) as follows:
study of religious moderation in Indonesia, Muhammadiyah ideology, Muhammadiyah
leadership, and Haidar Nashir's views on religious moderation.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Text-Context Dimensions of Religious Moderation
The strengthening of the idea of religious moderation, even institutionalised in
government policy (include local government), certainly has a background context,
namely religious diversity and potential threats that can disrupt the harmony of religious
life in Indonesia. Therefore, as shown by these studies, religious moderation is also
intended to respond to religious diversity in the internal and external contexts of religious
communities. Meanwhile, in the context of Indonesia, which is known for its diversity in
various aspects, including religion, Indonesia is considered to have made progress in
overcoming ethnic sectarianism that occurred throughout 1995-1998, which shows the
progress achieved in improving and stabilising inclusive civilisation (Intan, 2006);
however, in relation to religion, according to Hefner (Hefner, 2021b), it has proven to be
hesitant, to the point that Indonesia may currently be at an unresolved critical point related
to religion, social recognition and citizenship.
Diversity is inevitable, both because it is caused by differences in the way of reading
and understanding religious texts, especially those found in the Qur'an and Hadith, and
because it is influenced by the geographical and socio-cultural conditions in which Islam
is present, grows and develops. Indonesia, which is known as one of the places with the
largest Muslim population in the world, according to Denys Lombard's study (Lombard,
1996), is a place where four cultures meet and cross: India, the West, China, and Islam.
Specifically on Islam, Lombard reviewed what he called the absorption of Islam in
Javanese society based on the stages of Islamisation starting from the north coast to Islam
in the countryside (Lombard, 2005). The development of this place of Islamisation, in
turn, formed the diversity of Islam, which also reflected the involvement of its adherents
in Islamic teachings as portrayed by, for example, Clifford Geertz (Geertz, 1976), Robert

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

73

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

W. Hefner (Hefner, 2021a), Mark R. Woodward (Woodward, 1989), and other
anthropologists.
In Islam, the idea of tolerance and freedom of religion (Abou-Bakr, 2020; Friedmann,
2003; Leaman, 2016; Masud et al., 2021) is used as a reference for responding to diversity
in Islamic society. Meanwhile, in society, a culture of tolerance not only refers to the idea
of tolerance but is also formed by cultural wisdom (Setyabudi, 2021). However, there is
also a paradox in the religious life of society, including Muslims. In some places, conflicts
occur due to various factors (Turmudi, 2021). The conflict can be caused by claims of
absolute truth (Kimball, 2002), such as those of followers of Salafism (Morrissey, 2021),
which emerged and developed rapidly after the end of the New Order (Hasan, 2006). This
understanding and movement, according to Chaplin (Chaplin, 2021), adheres to a textual
and rigid understanding of the Qur'an and Hadith. The end of the New Order, on the
other hand, is the momentum for the emergence of the role of religion as a public religion,
which is shown so articulately and significantly by Islamic circles (Wahid & Makruf, 2017).
In this group, according to McCloud (Waines, 2014), Alvian (Alvian, 2019; Lane, 2019),
Buchler (Buehler, 2016), and Fukuyama (Fukuyama, 2011), there is an awareness of
displaying Islamic identity in the form of the establishment of a new Islamic party and the
increasing number of women wearing the hijab.
Another articulation is from the Islamist group (Tan, 2012), namely Muslims who
believe and want to revive Islam not only in the personal life of believers but also in social
and political life (Mura, 2016) as a consequence of a belief in Islam as a perfect religion
that offers teachings and solutions to all aspects of life including politics (Burhanuddin &
Jamhari, 2006). In the context of Indonesia, those who carry Islamism have beliefs and
try to carry out the Islamisation of the country along with the post-New Order
democratisation process (Fealy & White, 2008). The ideological orientation of the group
that can be called part of this new religious movement, according to Fukuyama
(Fukuyama, 2014), is not to revive religiosity per se, but according to Hidayat (Hidayat,
2023), deliberately radicalise the movement intending to establish an Islamic state, or in a
softer expression, carrying out structural shari'atisation (Nashir, 2007), as shown by
Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (Arifin, 2021).
The Islamist groups even deliberately use violence to achieve their goals instantly, as
done by Jemaah Islamiyah (Azca, 2011; Pringle, 2010)—one of the Salafists in Indonesia
founded by Abdullah Sungkar with Abu Bakar Ba'asyir to enforce Islamic law through
jihad (Solahudin, 2013). Systematic understanding in such a way, Salafism, like other
religious understandings or ideologies, always has the plan to spread to many groups
through various instruments, including education, such as the Institute of Islamic Sciences
and Arabic Language (LIPIA), as exemplified by Hasan (Hasan, 2020).
Tan's study shows that formal and informal education is an effective medium for
indoctrinating people into what he calls totalitarian ideology (Tan, 2012). Tan takes two
educational institutions as examples. The Pondok Pesantren Islam al-Mukmin is an

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

74

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

example of formal education. The second example of informal education is Jemaah
Islamiyah. According to his observations, in both places, there is deliberate indoctrination
to strengthen totalitarian ideology. Indoctrination in Islamic boarding schools involves
various elements such as clerics, teachers, curriculum, and school activities, including a
hidden curriculum. However, not all students or students are ultimately indoctrinated.
Meanwhile, Jemaah Islamiyah, although not a formal educational institution, can
indoctrinate someone as an adherent of totalitarian ideology. Tan gives the example of
Azahari Husin, a non-Islamic education graduate who met Abdullah Sungkar and Abu
Bakar Ba'asyir in an informal setting. Azahari Husin, in turn, became a combatant and a
martyr. The totalistic ideology that Tan means is an extreme understanding that creates a
binary-opposition relationship with other parties who disagree. In oneself, the
organisation, and its leaders, totalistic ideology, according to Tan, shows an exclusive
attitude and obedience, while outside the group is seen as an opponent.
In addition to conventional media, the spread of radical ideology has also undergone
radical changes in line with technological developments that have reached the stage of the
Industrial Revolution 4.0 (Schwab, 2017), which creates a reality of life called "life 3.0" by
Tegmark with an icon in the form of artificial intelligence (Tegmark, 2018), creating a
sensation of infallibility (Harari, 2024), including in religious life. In religious life, AI,
according to Harari (Harari, 2024), can interpret a holy book text accurately. This
development further impacts life, as indicated by a religious phenomenon called religion
outside the God box. According to Robert and Yamane, the way of religion today is not
only obtained through "God boxes" such as in churches, synagogues, temples, and
mosques but is obtained from "outside the God box", especially through new media
connected to the internet. This phenomenon is also called religion online, where
information about religion is obtained from various online sources (Roberts & Yamane,
2015). One of the parties who easily access the sources available in the space called
Tehrani with cyberspace is teenagers or young people (Tehrani, 2017). According to
Sirry's study (Sirry, 2024), this group is vulnerable to being exposed to radical ideology on
various social media platforms along with the expansion of the internet network in
Indonesia. Based on Sirry's tracking, in 2020 alone, there were 175 million internet users
and 160 million social media users. Sirry further stated that teenagers are the age group
that most often accesses sites containing radical views and ideologies. Intolerant and
radical actions, up to the most crucial stage, namely terrorism, also involve the young
generation who are even educated, as shown by Marc Sageman's study referred to by Sirry.
The young people Sirry assessed were building a vision of an ideal society are the age
group that most often accesses sites containing radical ideology. The subsequent impacts
need to be considered and worried about considering that intolerant and radical attitudes
and actions, up to the most crucial stage, namely terrorism, also involve young people
who are also educated, as in Marc Sageman's study referred to by Sirry. Therefore, actions

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

75

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

to stem the flow of radicalisation or what is called counter-violent extremism (CVE),
which involves many parties, are considered urgent.
Moderate Leadership
Entering its second century, Muhammadiyah has recorded many achievements.
Regarding social enterprise (Amal Usaha Muhammadiyah), Muhammadiyah, which was
initially more intense in managing the fields of education, health, philanthropy, and tabligh,
Muhammadiyah has begun to expand into the hospitality industry. After successfully
building the SM Tower in Yogyakarta, Muhammadiyah has an SM Tower in Berau, East
Kalimantan. Recently, Muhammadiyah has been interested in managing mining following
the issuance of Government Regulation (PP) No. 25 of 2024, which allows religious mass
organisations to manage Special Mining Business Permit Areas under business entities.
With this development, Muhammadiyah can also be seen as a corporate phenomenon. In
addition to this development, Muhammadiyah's social base has also developed even to
the international realm following the establishment of educational institutions such as
UMAM (Universiti Muhammadiyah Malaysia) and MAC (Muhammadiyah Australia
College) in Melbourne, Australia. It is also important to add its position as a civil society
that is still maintained so that Muhammadiyah can carry out its critical function towards
the government. On the other hand, it maintains closeness to the government. Several
researchers construct the Muhammadiyah-government relationship with the concept of
reciprocity-critical.
Two factors that can be put forward as the causes of Muhammadiyah's survival and
internal dynamics are ideological and leadership factors. Ideologically, Muhammadiyah
emphasises its identity as a socio-religious organisation and movement, maintaining
distance from practical political interests; therefore, Muhammadiyah has no agenda at all
to change the Pancasila ideology and the state constitution of the 1945 Constitution. The
top leadership of Muhammadiyah, since the era of Ahmad Dahlan to Haidar Nashir, has
internalised the identity and ideological orientation, which in turn created a moment of
moderate leadership in Muhammadiyah. And with that, Muhammadiyah, according to
Azca (Azca et al., 2021), can give colour to the articulation of moderate Islam in Indonesia
continuously and sustainably.
Leadership is one of the important factors that help determine the colour and
direction of an organisation. In leadership, there is managerial authority (Coulter, 2012),
which influences the beliefs, attitudes, and actions of others so that they are involved in
achieving the organisation's goals (Northouse, 2021; Robbins & Judge, 2018).
Muhammadiyah's achievements over more than a century, including Muhammadiyah's
consistency as a moderate Islamic organisation and movement, cannot be separated from
its leadership factor. There is a negative hypothesis: if Muhammadiyah is not supported
by the presence of leaders with strong character, there will be a shift in the orientation of

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

76

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

the Muhammadiyah movement to practical politics from the beginning of its
development.
Since its founding in 1912 until now, Muhammadiyah has changed leadership many
times. Since 2015, Muhammadiyah's leadership has been under the control of Haidar
Nashir. Of all the Central Board of Muhammadiyah and Muhammadiyah leaders in
general, Haidar Nashir's leadership has an appeal as a subject of study of religious
moderation with the following considerations: first, Haidar Nashir has a serious concern
for ideology as one of the fundamental aspects for Muhammadiyah both as an
organisation (jam'iyah) movement and society (jamaah). In Nashir's view (Nashir, 2006b),
the existence of an ideology, especially for an organisation as large as Muhammadiyah,
has important functions: (1) providing direction and explanation to all elements in
Muhammadiyah regarding the understanding of life based on Islam; (2) strengthening
collective solidarity especially when facing challenges and threats; (3) forming the
character of Muhammadiyah members collectively; (4) becoming a reference for
formulating strategies and steps for struggle; (5) facilitating the mobilisation of members,
cadres, and leaders to become a force directed towards the goals of a movement. The
achievements of Muhammadiyah in various aspects indicate that Muhammadiyah's
ideology works effectively. However, the reality is still found even among Muhammadiyah
leaders and cadres who do not understand the systematics, content, socio-historical
context, and implementation.
Haidar Nashir realised the condition of knowledge and attitudes of Muhammadiyah
members towards Muhammadiyah ideology. Haidar Nashir was involved in
Muhammadiyah from the beginning and the bottom until he later occupied the top
position of the Central Board of Muhammadiyah. His long involvement and struggle in
Muhammadiyah not only formed knowledge about Muhammadiyah, especially in the
aspect of ideology, in a more genuine, complete, and systematic way, and experienced its
"spirit" or essence, even by the editor of the book "Jalan Baru Moderasi Beragama:
Mensyukuri 66 Tahun Haedar Nashir” (A New Path to Religious Moderation: Grateful for
66 Years of Haedar Nashir) (Haq & Khorudin, 2024), Haidar Nashir was said to be the
"ideologist" and "living dictionary" of Muhammadiyah. With the combination of
knowledge and experience, coupled with his writing skills, Haidar Nashir succeeded in
systematically reconstructing along with an explanation of the historical background of
each ideological document produced in a certain time context. Haidar Nashir has
produced written works including; (1) Ideologi Gerakan Muhammadiyah (Ideology of the
Muhammadiyah Movement [2001]); (2) Islam & Perilaku Umat di Tengah Perubahan (Islam
& the Behaviour of the People in the Midst of Change [2002]); (3) Manifestati Gerakan
Tarbiyah: Bagaimana Sikap Muhammadiyah? (Manifestation of the Tarbiyah Movement: How
is Muhammadiyah's Attitude? [2006]); (4) Meneguhkan Ideologi Gerakan Muhammadiyah
(Strengthening the Ideology of the Muhammadiyah Movement [2006]) (5) Kristalisasi
Ideologi & Komitmen Bermuhammadiyah (Crystallization of Ideology & Commitment to

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

77

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

Muhammadiyah [2007]); (6)Muhammadiyah Gerakan Pembaruan (Muhammadiyah Renewal
Movement [2010]); (7) Muhammadiyah Abad Kedua (Muhammadiyah's Second Century
[2011]); (8) Ibrah Kehidupan: Sosiologi Makna untuk Pencerahan Diri (Ibrah of Life: Sociology
of Meaning for Self-Enlightenment [2013]); (9) Memahami Ideologi Muhammadiyah
(Understanding Muhammadiyah's Ideology [2014]) (10) Islam Agama Pencerahan Islam
(Islam: The Religion of Enlightenment [2017]); (11) Kuliah Kemuhammadiyahan Jilid I & II
(Muhammadiyah Lectures Volume I & II [2020]); (12) Indonesia dan Keindonesiaan: Perspektif
Sosiologis (Indonesia and Indonesianness: A Sociological Perspective [2019]); (13) Agama,
Demokrasi dan Politik Kekerasan Religion (Democracy and Violent Politics [2021]); (14)
Indonesia: Ideologi dan Martabat Pemimpin Bangsa (Indonesia: Ideology and the Dignity of
National Leaders [2022]).
A systematic reconstruction of Muhammadiyah ideology is outlined in the book
“Memahami Ideologi Muhammadiyah (Understanding Muhammadiyah Ideology).
Muhammadiyah leaders before Haidar Nashir also produced many works published by
national publishers, such as Ahmad Syafii Ma'arif and M. Amin Rais. However, among
other Muhammadiyah leaders, especially the latter, Haidar Nashir's attention and thoughts
on ideological issues in Muhammadiyah appear more intellectually articulate, as can be
read in at least the following five books: “Meneguhkan Ideologi Gerakan Muhammadiyah”
(Strengthening the Ideology of the Muhammadiyah Movement); “Manifestasi Gerakan
Tarbiyah: Bagaimana Sikap Muhammadiyah?” (Manifestation of the Tarbiyah Movement:
What is Muhammadiyah’s Attitude?); “Kristalisasi Ideologi & Komitmen Bermuhammadiyah”
(Crystallization of Ideology & Commitment to Muhammadiyah; “Muhammadiyah Abad
Kedua” (Muhammadiyah's Second Century); and “Memahami Ideologi Muhammadiyah
(Understanding Muhammadiyah Ideology). The productivity of writing, especially that
which intersects with Muhammadiyah ideology, is the second consideration when
choosing Haidar Nashir as this section's main subject of discussion. Moreover, an
anthology entitled "Jalan Baru Moderasi Beragama: Mensyukuri 66 Tahun Haedar Nashir” (A
New Path to Religious Moderation: Grateful for 66 Years of Haedar Nashir) has just been
launched.
The emphasis on religious moderation, especially on the new path, reflects Haidar
Nashir's broad-dimensional thinking. This recognition is evident in the contributions of
authors in the anthology, many of whom are not exclusively from a Muhammadiyah
background. In the broader discourse on religious moderation, Haidar Nashir’s ideas
influence Muhammadiyah and propose a new path to religion. According to the editor of
the book "Jalan Baru Moderasi Beragama: Mensyukuri 66 Tahun Haedar Nashir” (A New Path
to Religious Moderation: Grateful for 66 Years of Haedar Nashir), this path has distinct
characteristics and differs significantly from the government’s concept of religious
moderation. This concept developed by Haidar Nashir is combined with the
characteristics of Muhammadiyah as a reformist, modernist, and progressive movement.
"Mr. Haidar's religious moderation," explained Ul Haq and Khoirudin (Haq & Khorudin,

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

78

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

2024), "is 'Moderate-Reformist,' 'Moderate-Modernist,' or 'Progressive Moderate' because it accepts
modernity." "Moderation," he continued, "is not only about religion but moderation of the institutions
of life in the nation and state to become advanced."
How did Haidar Nashir arrive at such a construction? There are at least six
interrelated factors: understanding of Islam, the fact that he was involved in and struggled
with Muhammadiyah from a young age until he was trusted as the General Chairperson
of PP Muhammadiyah, a deep and critical understanding of the socio-religious conditions
in Indonesia, scholarships obtained in the field of sociology, the religiosity of their parents
that influenced him to study at madrasahs and Islamic boarding schools in addition to
studying at public schools, and the fact that he has experience in journalism as a reporter
and opinion writer for many leading newspapers. These six interwoven factors formed
Haidar Nasir's intellectual character and significantly influenced Muhammadiyah,
including what Latief called post-puritanism (Latief, 2017). The embedding of this
concept is based on the dynamics of Muhammadiyah's thinking under the leadership of
three Muhammadiyah figures: Muhammad Amien Rais, Ahmad Syafii Maarif, Muhammad
Sirajuddin Syamsuddin, and continuing Haidar Nashir, which produced dynamic and
progressive thoughts, so that even though it continues to carry out the role of purification
and ideological strengthening internally, when it is at the end of a century and starting to
enter the second century, Muhammad is seen as dynamic and progressive in responding
to changes in the times.
Muhammadiyah's ability to go beyond its puritanical attitude, unlike other Islamic
movements that, because of their puritanism, actually fall into extremism that tends to be
confrontational-reactionary (lil mu'aradhah)—a phase that Haidar Nashir often utters—
and is even familiar with the use of violence. Muhammadiyah is used as a role model in a
moderate and progressive Islamic movement. In this context, Haidar Nashir plays a
significant role. Haidar Nashir's way of developing moderation in Muhammadiyah seems
to follow the logic of social construction theory. First, Haidar Nashir poured out the
results of his reading and understanding of the texts in the Qur'an and Hadith. There are
many verses and hadiths that Haidar Nashir refers to as the basis and theological
justification for moderation, rather than limited to religious moderation, but as Permata
stated (Haq & Khorudin, 2024), it also includes moderation in the political field, including
QS. al-Baqarah verses 143, 201-202; QS. Luqman verse 32; QS. al-Maidah verse 66; QS.
An-Nahl verse 9; QS. at-Taubah verse 42; QS. al-Furqan verse 67; QS. al-Qashas verse
77; QS. al-Anbiya verse 107; QS. Ali Imran verse 110; QS. al-Alaq verses 1-5; QS. arRa''du verse 11; and QS. al-Hasyr verse 18. Nashir states these verses provide legitimacy
for constructing what he calls wasathiyah Islam (Nashir, 2021).
Islam wasathiyah, in Nashir's view, is not just a claim and rhetoric but must be
internalised into an ethic and ethos that, in turn, realises progressive Islam. Therefore, the
normative-theological reconstruction of moderation is not only based on the letter of alBaqarah verse 143 but is complemented and linked to other verses that have implications

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

79

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

for forming an ethos and reality of progressive Islam. Haidar Nashir deliberately
emphasises these ethics and ethos because moderation tends to be directed to become a
single discourse of certain groups, in addition to being more emphasised on the religious
aspect alone. As an ethical framework, moderation, according to Nashir (Nashir, 2021),
requires the elegance of morals (noble morals), namely an open, tolerant, peaceful attitude,
willing to collaborate in the field of muamalah based on the principle of makruf, while still
adhering to the faith and worship in Islam.
This ethical behaviour, Nashir explained, must be followed up with an ethos to realise
progressive Islam. Therefore, Nashir also quoted verses other than QS. al-Baqarah verse
144, such as QS. al-Hasyr verse 18, QS. ar-Ra'du verse 11, and QS. Al-Imran verse 110 to
strengthen and expand the scope of moderation, as ummatan wasathan, which Nashir
quoted from QS. Al-Baqarah verse 143. Nashir emphasised that Muslims must imagine
being a superior ummah and realised it as the meaning contained—at least according to
Nashir's understanding—in QS. Al-Imran verse 110; QS. al-Anbiya verse 107; and QS.
al-Hasyr verse 18. Ummatan wasathan, or a middle ummah strengthened by progressive
Islam, in Nashir's imagination culminates in realising an enlightened human life (Nashir,
2021). For Nashir, enlightened reality is not just discourse and rhetorical expressions
(Nashir, 2017). Nashir, who was referred to by several contributors to the book "Jalan
Baru Moderasi Beragama: Mensyukuri 66 Tahun Haedar Nashir” (A New Path to Religious
Moderation: Grateful for 66 Years of Haedar Nashir) as the ideologue of Muhammadiyah,
has faith in the realisation of an enlightened reality because it has indeed been a
commitment and spirit for Muhammadiyah since its inception during the time of Ahmad
Dahlan, the founder of Muhammadiyah who is known as the figure of "The Enlightener."
Muhammadiyah's commitment to realising an enlightened reality, according to
Nashir (Nashir, 2011), has been proven by carrying out the following movements: (1)
renewing religious understanding; (2) reforming the Islamic education system; (3)
developing social service institutions and community empowerment based on the General
Misery Relief; (4) advancing the role of Muslim women (Aisyiyah) in the public sphere;
(5) organising zakat and hajj; (6) pioneering library parks and publications; and (7)
intelligent tabligh. By emphasising enlightenment, Nashir wants to affirm
Muhammadiyah's mission, which, like the mission of the prophets, Muhammadiyah also
has a prophetic mission, namely to bring humanity out of all forms of darkness
(ignorance) towards the guidance (path and teachings) of Allah, brightly shining as stated
in QS. al-Baqarah verse 257 (Nashir, 2017).
The firmness of the principles in the fundamental aspects, being demanded to be
open, is also reflected in Nashir's critical attitude and vigilance towards religious
movements and ideologies, including radical Islam and carrying practical agendas,
especially those indicated to penetrate and infiltrate Muhammadiyah, such as
Muhammadiyah's experience in facing the Tarbiyah movement (Nashir, 2006a). This
phenomenon for some elites and Muhammadiyah members is reminiscent of the

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

80

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

emergence of Kepribadian Muhammadiyah (Muhammadiyah's Personality), the result of the
35th Muktamar National Congress in 1962, known as the Half Century Muktamar
National Congress during the leadership of Yunus Anis (1952-1962). Regarding the year
of its birth means two years after the dissolution of Masyumi by Sukarno. Masyumi needs
to be used as one of the important variables in understanding Kepribadian Muhammadiyah
(Muhammadiyah's Personality) because, according to Nashir (Nashir, 2006b), the
background of its birth—asbab ad-dhuhur, a phrase used by Nashir—was the large number
of Muhammadiyah members in Masyumi who were too deep which resulted in the neglect
of Muhammadiyah's da'wah work including its social enterprise.
For certain circles in Muhammadiyah, involvement in Masyumi proved to have a
negative effect, so in the Tanwir National Meeting in Kaliurang in 1956, the idea arose to
withdraw and leave Masyumi, but it did not happen. After the dissolution of Masyumi,
concerns arose about the influence of the nature and practical political methods being
carried over into Muhammadiyah, which was not a practical political entity. So, as a
mitigation, the Muhammadiyah Personality was issued. According to Permata, the
Tarbiyah movement, the parent of Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (PKS), was an incident for
Muhammadiyah (Permata, 2004). If it had not reached that stage, the Central Board of
Muhammadiyah Decree Number 149 of 2007 would not have appeared. According to
Permata, Haidar Nashir had a key role in the emergence of this decree. It is said that the
infiltration of the Tarbiyah Movement and other radical religious groups has had a
significant impact on Muhammadiyah, creating shockwaves and "casualties" among its
progressive figures who have been dedicated to Muhammadiyah and have strong roots in
certain segments. For example, Permata highlights the following case: during the 45th
Muhammadiyah Congress in Malang, progressive leaders like M. Amin Abdullah and
Abdul Munir Mulkhan were sidelined in the leadership election. Meanwhile, conservative
figures with limited roots in Muhammadiyah, such as Adian Husaini, Hidayat Nur Wahid,
and Bachtiar Nasir, secured positions in the central leadership. According to Burhani
(Assyaukanie, 2013), the National Muktamar Meeting marked a conservative shift in
Muhammadiyah, driven by the growing influence of conservative or purist Islamic groups
within the organisation (Permata, 2004).
The second example from Permata is the resignation of a number of Nasyiatul
Aisyiyah (NA) leaders in Bantul after being infiltrated by the Tarbiyah movement and
becoming members, activists and cadres of PKS (Permata, 2004). The next (third)
example is the transfer of management and ownership of the al-Muttaqun Mosque, which
was originally managed by family members affiliated with Muhammadiyah, including the
parents of Hidayat Nur Wahid, a PKS figure and member of the Dakwah Council.
However, after the earthquake in Yogyakarta, it was completely transferred to the alMuttaqun Foundation and chaired by Hidayat Nur Wahid. According to Permata
(Permata, 2004), this transfer resulted in Muhammadiyah losing not only the mosque and
its associated kindergarten but also its influence and mass base. The decree mentioned

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

81

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

above, in which Haidar Nashir played an important role, aimed to stop the infiltration and
penetration of the Tarbiyah Movement based on the consideration that Muhammadiyah
would not be contaminated by practical political methods as one of the considerations for
the issuance of the Kepribadian Muhammadiyah (Muhammadiyah Personality), in addition to
the intention to ensure the loyalty and commitment of cadres to Muhammadiyah. After
the issuance of the Muhammadiyah decision, known as the Organisational Consolidation
Decree, four months later, a Tanwir National Meeting was held in Yogyakarta on 26-29
April 2007 with the theme "Strengthening and Enlightening the Movement for National Progress"
(Haq & Khorudin, 2024).
With a long history, Muhammadiyah has many social enterprises as a means to realise
its ideals. However, as is the general phenomenon of an organisation that Kasali calls an
organism or living creature (Kasali, 2007), challenges and threats of decline always exist,
leading to paralysis or even death; therefore, according to Kasali (Kasali, 2006), change is
a must to ensure that the organisation continues to develop. However, Muhammadiyah
cannot avoid this natural evolutionary phenomenon. As a person who has been involved
for so long and is rooted in Muhammadiyah, Nashir has captured phenomena within
Muhammadiyah that have the potential to threaten the sustainability of Muhammadiyah,
such as the weakening of spirit, commitment, and call to action, weakening of collective
consciousness; and the interest, especially among young Muhammadiyah people, in new
religious beliefs that encourage them to "hijrah” (migrate) (Nashir, 2001). Facing these
problems and challenges, Muhammadiyah responded by re-injecting enthusiasm through
revitalising ideology, affirming, and actualising the ethos that has been proven to
guarantee the sustainability of Muhammadiyah.
Three documents are also an important part of the systematic ideology of
Muhammadiyah as a form of response to the problems and obstacles faced by
Muhammadiyah: “Pernyataan Pikiran Muhammadiyah Jelang Satu Abad” (Statement of
Muhammadiyah Thoughts Approaching One Century), the result of the 45th Muktamar
National Congress in Malang, and “Revitalisasi Ideologi Muhammadiyah: Konsolidasi Bidang
Keyakinan dan Cita-cita Hidup” (Revitalisation of Muhammadiyah Ideology: Consolidation
of Beliefs and Life Aspirations), the decision at the 2007 Tanwir National Meeting in
Yogyakarta; and RIB or Risalah Islam Berkemajuan (A Treatise on Progressive Islam), the
result of the 48th Muktamar National Congress in Surakarta. In the first two documents,
there is a connection between internal and external conditions and challenges that require
Muhammadiyah to revitalise its ideology, thereby allowing Muhammadiyah members to
keep maintaining the vital elan in advancing Muhammadiyah. The same spirit is also found
in RIB. Summarising Haidar Nashir's thoughts spread across several documents,
including Understanding Muhammadiyah Ideology, Insight, and Movement Agenda,
which were delivered in the Ideopolitor Dialogue (Ideology, Politics, and Organization)
of the Muhammadiyah Central Leadership at Ahmad Dahlan University on May 6-7, 2023,
it can be concluded as follows (Nashir, 2023): (1) The substance of RIB thought is rooted

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

82

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

in and is a continuation of the spirit, values, and thoughts of Ahmad Dahlan; (2)
Progressive Islam, both as mentioned in the Pernyataan Pikiran Muhammadiyah Jelang Satu
Abad (Muhammadiyah Statement of Thoughts Approaching One Century), and as
contained in the RIB, is a reaffirmation and reactualisation of the 1912 Muhammadiyah
Statute which contains the word "advancing"; (3) Progressive Islam is a reaffirmation of
Muhammadiyah's religious view that Islam is a deen al-hadharah—a religion that contains
progressive values to realise an increasingly enlightened human life; (4) Progressive Islam
is a reaffirmation of the spirit of Muhammadiyah’s tajdid which contains the meaning,
besides purification, and the development or dynamism of life in various aspects to
demonstrate: al-Islam at-Taqaddumi; al-Islam al-Hadhari, and Islamic Progressivism.
In the three documents, Muhammadiyah's view on moderation is also mentioned.
Even in RIB, in the section on Progressive Islamic Characteristics, there is a formulation
called the Five Characteristics (al-Khasha'ishu al-Khamsu), including: (1) Based on Tawhid
(al-Mabni 'ala al-Tauhid); (2) Based on the Qur'an and the Sunnah (al-Ruju' ila al-Qur'an wa
al-Sunnah); (3) Bringing Ijtihad and Tajdid to Life (Ihya' al-Ijtihad wa al-Tajdid); (4)
Developing Wasathiyah (Tanmiyat al-Wasathiyah); and (5) Realising Blessings for All Nature
(Tahqiq al-Rahmah lil-'Alamin). Specifically, point four, which is related to moderation or
wasathiyah, contains the following statement:
The Qur'an states that Muslims are ummatan wasathan (middle people), which means superior and
upright. Islam itself is a wasathiyah (middle) religion, which rejects extremism in religion and social
attitudes, both in the form of excessive attitudes (ghuluww) and attitudes of neglect (tafrith).
Wasathiyah also means a middle position between two poles: ultra-conservatism and ultra-liberalism
in religion. In line with that, wasathiyah demands a balanced attitude (tawazun) between individual
and social life, physical and spiritual, and worldly and hereafter. Wasathiyah does not lead to
tolerance of political secularism and moral permissiveness. Because Islam is a wasathiyah religion, it
must be a prominent characteristic in the thinking and behaviour of Muslims. Wasathiyah is
manifested in social attitudes: (1) firm in stance, broad in insight, and flexible in attitude; (2)
respecting differences in views or opinions; (3) rejecting blasphemy against fellow Muslims; (4)
advancing and encouraging society; (5) understanding reality and priorities; (6) avoiding excessive
fanaticism towards certain religious groups or beliefs; and (7) facilitating the implementation of
religious teachings (Muhammadiyah, 2022).
For those with experience in Muhammadiyah studies and involvement in
Muhammadiyah, the content of the Five Characteristics is nothing new. The narrative in
the Five Characteristics and other parts of the RIB, such as Manhaj of Progressive Islam,
Progressive Islamic Movement, and Progressive Islamic Cultivation, can be traced in
terms of connection and continuity with the thoughts and official documents that
Muhammadiyah has produced in previous periods. For example, the view on moderation,
in the section Developing Wasathiyah, Muhammadiyah reaffirms its identity and attitude
towards moderation or wasathiyah. As a continuation of Muhammadiyah's religious view
that Islam and Muslims are a middle religion and ummatan wasathan, Muhammadiyah

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

83

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

declares its rejection of excessive religious attitudes (ghuluw) that have the potential to lead
to extreme attitudes and actions. The same attitude is also directed towards tafrith
religiosity, which tends to simplify religious matters and can lead someone to ultraliberalism. The official thinking of Muhammadiyah, as stated in RIB, is also reflected in
the thinking of Haidar Nashir. In Indonesia dan Keindonesiaan: Perspektif Sosiologis (Indonesia
and Indonesianness: Sociological Perspective) (Nashir, 2019). Nashir explains the attitude
of moderates that must be shown, namely, "avoiding all forms of radicalism that lead to
absolute understanding and contain extremism, intolerance, and violence regarding all
matters concerning human life and nationality."
Complex and in-depth academic attention and thoughts related to moderation were
conveyed by Haidar Nashir in his inaugural speech as a professor of sociology of religion
at the University of Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) on December 12, 2019, entitled
Moderasi Indonesia dan Keindonesiaan: Perspektif Sosiologi (Indonesian Moderation and
Indonesianness: Sociological Perspective) (Nashir, 2019). There are two important points
that Haidar Nashir aims to reconstruct in this section of his speech: the background
underlying the choice of the topic of moderation and the offer of moderation in the
context of Indonesia. Haidar Nashir's ideas on these two points are linked in terms of
time to religious moderation from the government. 2019 is a "year of moderation," both
in the national and international contexts. At the international level, 2019 is referred to as
the International Year of Moderation (IYM 2019) based on the resolution produced at
the UN General Assembly session (Bagir & Sormin, 2022). Meanwhile, the Ministry of
Religion published the book Religious Moderation and other supporting books related to
religious moderation in the same year.
According to the government, anti-violence is one of the four indicators of religious
moderation. The social context underlying this indicator is the understanding and
movement of religious radicalism, one of the religious trends that emerged in Indonesia
after the New Order. In Moderasi Beragama (Religious Moderation), it is stated that the core
of radicalism is the attitude and actions of a person or a certain group that uses violent
methods to carry out the desired change (Ri, 2019). At the beginning of the manuscript,
delivered at the inauguration ceremony as a professor in the field of sociology of religion,
there is a typical statement as a sociologist, "Religious radicalism, including in a small
group of Muslims, is certainly a real social fact" (Suharto, 2019). By saying it as a social
fact that reminds us of Emile Durkheim as the originator of the concept of social facts,
radicalism is an undeniable fact or reality. Several studies, such as those conducted by
Solahuddin (Solahuddin & McRae, 2013), Barton, Vergani, and Wahid (Wildan, 2022),
Azca (Azca, 2011), Arifin (Arifin, 2021), including those conducted by Nashir (Nashir,
2007), reveal the emergence of understanding and movements of radicalism after the New
Order. In addition to emphasising that radicalism is a social fact, Nashir emphasised the
universality of the phenomenon of radicalism, which can also be found in all religions
(Suharto, 2019), as also emphasised by Shepard (Shepard, 2014), that radicalism, including

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

84

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

that which leads to violence and terrorism, is not only limited to Muslims but is also
carried out by other groups such as the Tamil Tigers. One concern with radicalism is the
use of violence to achieve its goals. Because the impact of the use of violence, such as acts
of terror, is so terrible, Haidar Nashir even calls it an act categorised as fasad fil ardi or
causing earth damage, as revealed in several verses of the Qur'an.
To stem radicalism, Haidar Nashir has the same view as the Ministry of Religious
Affairs. In his view, religious moderation is a constructive step as a mainstream in national
life and building Indonesia. What is more interesting about Haidar Nashir is his inclusive
view that moderation, including religious life, cannot be claimed to be the concern of a
particular religion, including Islam, which already has the concept of ummatan wasathan. In
Haidar Nashir's view, moderation is a universal idea found in other religions and traditions
(Juergensmeyer, 2023). For Haidar Nashir, moderation in a broader context, not only
religion, is a mere continuation of the moderate character of Indonesian society, which is
reflected and crystallised in Pancasila. Therefore, Pancasila is seen by Haidar Nashir as a
common denominator or meeting point for various currents of Indonesianness
(Juergensmeyer, 2023). Pancasila for Haedar Nashir can thus be developed as a
philosophical-ethical basis for developing what he calls "Indonesian moderation."
The right to life, the right to not to be tortured, the right to freedom of the individual, to
freedom of thought and conscience, the right not to be enslaved, the right to be acknowledged
as an individual before the law, and the right not to be prosecuted retroactively under the
law are human rights that cannot be diminished under any circumstances whatsoever.
CONCLUSION
This article has presented data that shows Muhammadiyah's commitment to
strengthening the understanding and action of moderation in Indonesia. Based on the
history and leadership of Muhammadiyah, it is undeniable that Muhammadiyah is a role
model for moderate Islamic organisations and movements par excellence in Indonesia.
Moderatism in Muhammadiyah is an important factor that has made Muhammadiyah
continue to grow beyond its age of more than a century. Muhammadiyah's consistency in
taking a moderate path throughout its history cannot be separated from its main
leadership factor at the top leadership level, called the Central Board of Muhammadiyah.
Since its inception, Muhammadiyah has experienced fifteen changes in top leadership.
Currently (2022-2027), Muhammadiyah is led by Haidar Nashir. Among the previous
Muhammadiyah leaders (Ahmad Dahlan-Muhammad Sirajuddin Syamsuddin), Haidar
Nashir has a uniqueness. In addition to being an activist, a true cadre, and an academic
with a talent for writing, as well as a productive writer, internal Muhammadiyah circles
even dubbed Haidar Nashir as the "ideologist" of Muhammadiyah because of his ability
to systematically reconstruct and strengthen and develop Muhammadiyah ideology in a
moderate direction. The strengthening of Muhammadiyah's moderation can be seen in
the oration of the professor in the field of sociology of religion. In the Haidar Nashir era,

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

85

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

the internationalisation of Muhammadiyah began to be realised through education, as
shown by the establishment of the Universiti Muhammadiyah Malaysia (UMAM), in
Perlis, Malaysia and Muhammadiyah Australia College (MAC), in Melbourne, Australia.
These two educational institutions are agents for the dissemination or export of moderate
Islam ala Muhammadiyah, in addition to other institutions or charitable efforts owned by
Muhammadiyah that have acted as agents of moderate Islam.
REFERENCES
Abdullah, T. (1987). Islam dan Masyarakat: Pantulan Sejarah Indonesia.Jakarta: LP3ES.
Abou-Bakr, O. (2020). Freedom of Religion in Qurʾanic Exegesis. Freedom of Expression in
Islam.
Al-Fatih, S., & Siboy, A. (2021). Menulis Artikel Karya Ilmiah Hukum di Jurnal Nasional
dan Internasional Bereputasi. Inteligensia Media.
Al-Karboly, M. H. A. (2023). The Impact of Evoking Models of Peaceful Coexistence in
The History of Islam, Achieving Moderation and Building Peace. Dirasat: Human and
Social Sciences, 50(6), 293–303. https://doi.org/10.35516/hum.v50i6.7084
Alfian. (1989). Muhammadiyah: The Political Behavior of a Muslim Modernist Organisation under
Dutch Colonialism. Gadjah Mada University Press.
Alvian, R. A. (2019). Political Islam Movements and Democracy in Indonesia: A Changing
Landscape? Continuity and Change after Indonesia’s Reforms, 78–112.
Arif, H. M., & Yatim, M. (2020). Moderasi Islam dan Kebebasan Beragama Perspektif Mohamed
Yatim & Thaha Jabir Al-Alwani. Deepublish.
Arifin, S. (2021). Utopia Negara Khilafah: Ideologi dan Gerakan Sosial Hizbut Tahrir. CV Literasi
Nusantara Abadi.
Asmani, J. M., Muarif, A. D., & Sy, M. E. (2022). Dakwah Islam Moderat ala KH. Afifuddin
Muhajir dan KH. Abdul Moqsith Ghazali. IRCISOD.
Aspinall, E., & Mietzner, M. (n.d.). in Indonesia Elections, Institutions and Society.
Assyaukanie, L. (2013). Contemporary Developments in Indonesian Islam: Explaining
the ‘Conservative Turn.’ Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies, 49(3), 394–395.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00074918.2013.850644
Astuti, M., & Ismail, F. (2023). The Religious Moderation and Decreasing Muslim
Students’ Identity. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 23(17).
https://doi.org/10.33423/jhetp.v23i17.6549
Azca, M. N. (2011). After jihad: A biographical approach to passionate politics in Indonesia.
Universiteit van Amsterdam [Host].
Azca, M. N., Salim, H., Arrobi, M. Z., Asyhari, B., & Usman, A. (2021). Dua Menyemai
Damai: Peran dan Kontribusi Muhammadiyah dan Nahdlatul Ulama dalam Perdamaian dan
Demokrasi. UGM PRESS.
Bagir, Z. A., & Sormin, J. (2022). Politik Moderasi dan Kebebasan Beragama-Suatu Tinjauan
Kritis. Elex Media Komputindo.

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

86

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

Beck, H. (2018). Fenomenologi Islam Modernis: Kisah Perjumpaan Muhammadiyah Dengan
Kebhinekaan Perilaku Beragama. Suara Muhammadiyah.
Buehler, M. (2016). The politics of Shari’a law: Islamist activists and the state in democratizing
Indonesia. Cambridge University Press.
Burhani, A. N. (2004). The Muhammadiyah’s Attitude to Javanese Culture in 1912-1930:
Appreciation and Tension. Leiden University, Available at: Google Scholar.
Burhani, A. N. (2019). Between Social Services and Tolerance: Explaining Religious Dynamics in
Muhammadiyah. ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute.
Burhani, M. N. (2019). Menemani Minoritas. Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
Burhanuddin, J., & Jamhari. (2006). Assesment of Social and Political Attitude in
Indonesia Islamic Education Institution. Studia Islamica: Indonesia Journal for Islamic
Studies, 399–433.
Chaplin, C. (2021). Salafism and the state: Islamic activism and national identity in contemporary
Indonesia. NIAS Press.
Chusnan, M., & Chusnan, M. (2012). Tasawuf Muhammadiyah: Menyelami Spiritual
Leadership AR. Fakhruddin (MA Wahab, Ed.
Collins, R. (2009). The sociology of philosophies: A global theory of intellectual change. Harvard
University Press.
Compton, B. R. (2021). Kemelut Demokrasi Liberal: Surat-Surat Rahasia Boyd R. Compton.
LP3ES.
Coulter, M. (2012). Stephen P. Robbins. Management. Pearson.
Dani Somantri, M., & Dahwadin, D. (2020). The Message of Religious Moderation in
Tanbih Qadiriyah Naqsyabandiyah (TQN) Pondok Pesantren Suryalaya. Teosofia:
Indonesian
Journal
of
Islamic
Mysticism,
8(1),
51–68.
https://doi.org/10.21580/tos.v8i1.4404
Davidson, J. S. (2018). Indonesia: Twenty years of democracy. Cambridge University Press.
https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108686518
DeLong, J. B. (2022). Slouching towards Utopia: An economic history of the twentieth century.
Hachette UK.
Fathurrochman, I., Ristianti, D. H., & Mohamed Arif, bin M. A. S. (2020). Revitalization
of islamic boarding school management to foster the spirit of islamic moderation on
Indonesia. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 8(2), 239–258.
Fealy, G., & White, S. (2008). Expressing Islam: Religious life and politics in Indonesia. Institute
of Southeast Asian Studies.
Fogg, K. W. (2019). Indonesian Islamic Socialism and its South Asian Roots. Modern Asian
Studies, 53(6), 1736–1761. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1017/S0026749X17000646
Frankopan, P. (2023). The Earth transformed: an untold History. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Friedmann, Y. (2003). Tolerance and coercion in Islam: interfaith relations in the Muslim tradition.
Cambridge University Press.
Fukuyama, F. (2011). The origins of political order: From prehuman times to the French Revolution.

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

87

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Fukuyama, F. (2014). Political Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution
to the Globalization of Democracy. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Geertz, C. (1976). The religion of Java. University of Chicago Press.
Geoffroy, É. (2017). Nasr Seyyed Hossein (éd.), The Study Quran–A New Translation
and Commentary. Harper One, New York, 2015. Bulletin Critique Des Annales
Islamologiques, 31(1), 24.
Guritno, S. A., Lessy, Z., & Ahmad, M. M. (2022). Religious Moderation Education: An
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis on Identity Reconstruction in Polite
Islamic Literacy Ambassadors. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 19(1), 69–80.
https://doi.org/10.14421/jpai.2022.191-06
Hamid, S. (2014). Temptations of power: Islamists and illiberal democracy in a new Middle East.
Oxford University Press.
Haq, F. R. U., & Khorudin, A. (2024). Jalan Baru Moderasi Beragama: Mensyukuri 66 Tahun
Haedar Nashir. Kompas.
Harari, Y. N. (2024). Nexus: A brief history of information networks from the Stone Age to AI.
Signal.
Hasan, N. (2006). Laskar Jihad: Islam, militancy, and the quest for identity in post-New Order
Indonesia (Issue 40). SEAP Publications.
Hasan, N. (2020). Salafism, Knowledge Production and Religious Education in
Indonesia.”. The New Santri: Challenges to Traditional Religious Authority in Indonesia, 131–
150.
Hefner, R. W. (2021a). Hindu Javanese: tengger tradition and Islam. Princeton University Press.
Hefner, R. W. (2021b). The politics and ethics of social recognition and citizenship in a
Muslim-majority democracy. Indonesian Pluralities: Islam, Citizhensip, and Democracy.
Hefner, R. W., & Bagir, Z. A. (2021). Indonesian pluralities: Islam, citizenship, and democracy.
University of Notre Dame Pess.
Hidayat, K. (2023). The Trendsetter of Islam throughout Indonesian History.
Hoodbhoy, P. (1991). Islam and science: Religious orthodoxy and the battle for rationality. Zed
Books.
Huntington, S. P. (1991). The third wave (Vol. 199, Issue 1). Norman: University of
Oklahoma Press.
Intan, B. F. (2006). “ Public Religion” and the Pancasila-based State of Indonesia: An Ethical and
Sociological Analysis (Vol. 238). Peter Lang.
Jainuri, A. (1997). The Formation of the Muhammadiyah’s Ideology, 1912-1942. Disertasi
(McGill University: The Institute of Islamic Studies, 1997).
Juergensmeyer, M. (2023). The New Cold War?: Religious Nationalism Confronts the
Secular State. In The New Cold War?: Religious Nationalism Confronts the Secular State.
University of California Press.
Kafid, N. (2023). Moderasi beragama reproduksi kultur keberagamaan moderat di kalangan generasi

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

88

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

muda Muslim. Elex Media Komputindo.
Kamali, M. H. (2015). The middle path of moderation in Islam: The Qur’anic principle of wasatiyyah.
Oxford University Press.
Kasali, R. (2006). Change! Tak Peduli Berapa Jauh Jalan Salah yang Anda Jalani, Putar Arah
Sekarang Juga [Manajemen Perubahan dan Manajemen Harapan]. Gramedia.
Kasali, R. (2007). Re-Code Your Change DNA (HC). Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
Kim, H.-J. (2007). Reformist Muslims in a Yogyakarta village: the Islamic transformation of
contemporary socio-religious life. ANU Press.
Kimball, C. (2002). When religion becomes evil. HarperSanFrancisco.
Kuntowijoyo. (1997). Identitas politik umat Islam. ATF Press.
Kuntowijoyo, P., & AE, M. (2008). Paradigma Islam: interpretasi untuk aksi. (No Title).
Kustati, M., Indra, R., Efendi, Ritonga, M., Nelmawarni, Yulia, & Karni, A. (2023). The
Effect of National Insight and Religious Moderation on Radical Behavior of
Secondary School Students. Education Research International, 2023, 1–13.
https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/2919611
Lane, M. (2019). Continuity and Change after Indonesia’s Reforms: Contributions to an Ongoing
Assessment. ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
Latief, H. (2010). Melayani umat: filantropi Islam dan ideologi kesejahteraan kaum modernis.
Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
Latief, H. (2017). Post puritanisme: pemikiran dan arah baru gerakan Islam modernis di Indonesia,
1995-2015. LP3M Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta.
Latief, H., & Nashir, H. (2020). Local Dynamics and Global Engagements of the Islamic
Modernist Movement in Contemporary Indonesia: The Case of Muhammadiyah
(2000-2020). Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 39(2), 290–309.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1868103420910514
Leaman, O. (2016). The Qur’an: A Philosophical Guide. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Lombard, D. (1996). Nusa Jawa: Batas-Batas Pembaratan (Vol. 1). PT Gramedia Pustaka
Utama.
Lombard, D. (2005). Nusa Jawa silang budaya: jaringan Asia. Jakarta: Gramedia.
Lubis, P. S. (2021). Pemikiran M. Kholid Syeirazi Tentang Wasathiyah Islam. Jurnal Studi
Sosial Dan Agama (JSSA), 1(1), 46–56.
Masud, M. K., Vogt, K., Larsen, L., & Moe, C. (2021). Freedom of expression in Islam:
Challenging apostasy and blasphemy laws. Bloomsbury Publishing.
McGrath, A. E. (1988). Reformation thought: An introduction. Milel ve Nihal, 4(3), 180–
181.
Menski, W. (2018). Religion, Governance and the Need for Plurality-Conscious
Moderation.
South
Asia
Research,
38(1),
92–102.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0262728017725647
Milton-Edwards, B. (2018). Contemporary politics in the Middle East. John Wiley & Sons.
Morrissey, F. (2021). A short history of Islamic thought. Oxford University Press.

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

89

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

Muhammadiyah, P. P. (2000). Pedoman Hidup Islami. Yogyakarta: Suara Muhammadiyah,
Tahun.
Muhammadiyah, P. P. (2016). Dakwah Kultural Muhammadiyah. Suara Muhammadiyah.
Muhammadiyah, P. P. (2022). Tanfidz Keputusan Muktamar Ke-48 Muhammadiyah
Tahun 2022. Surakarta. Https://Muhammadiyah. or. Id/Download/Tanfidz-Ke¬ PutusanMuktamar-Ke-48-Muhammadiyah-Tahun-2022.
Muhtadi, B. (2019). Vote buying in Indonesia: The mechanics of electoral bribery. Springer Nature.
Mujiburrahman, M. (2006). Feeling threatened: Muslim-Christian relations in Indonesia’s new order.
Amsterdam University Press Amsterdam.
Mura, A. (2016). The symbolic scenarios of Islamism: A study in Islamic political thought. Routledge.
Mut’i, A. M., & Haq, F. R. U. (2023). Kristen Muhammadiyah; Mengelola Pluralitas
Agama. Jakarta: Kompas.
Mutawali, M. (2023). Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘a as the Foundation of Islamic Moderation: TheoPhilosophical Insight against Extreme Religious Ideology. Ulumuna, 27(1), 341–366.
https://doi.org/10.20414/ujis.v27i1.560
Nakamura, M. (2012). The crescent arises over the banyan tree: A study of the Muhammadiyah
movement in a Central Javanese Town, c. 1910-2010. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Nashir, H. (2001). Ideologi Gerakan Muhammadiyah. Suara Muhammadiyah.
Nashir, H. (2006a). Manifestasi gerakan tarbiyah: bagaimana sikap Muhammadiyah? Suara
Muhammadiyah.
Nashir, H. (2006b). Meneguhkan ideologi gerakan Muhammadiyah. UPT Penerbitan Universitas
Muhammadiyah, Malang.
Nashir, H. (2007). Gerakan Islam Syariat: Reproduksi Salafiyah Ideologis di Indonesia.
(No Title).
Nashir, H. (2009a). Manhaj Gerakan Muhammadiyah Ideologi, Khittah, dan Langkah.
Suara Muhammadiyah. Yogyakarta: Suara Muhammadiyah.
Nashir, H. (2009b). Memahami Manhaj Gerakan Muhammadiyah. Dalam Manhaj Gerakan
Muhammadiyah: Ideologi, Khittah, Dan Langkah.
Nashir, H. (2010). Muhammadiyah gerakan pembaruan. Suara Muhammadiyah.
Nashir, H. (2011). Muhammadiyah abad kedua. Suara Muhammadiyah.
Nashir, H. (2014). Memahami ideologi muhammadiyah. Suara Muhammadiyah.
Nashir, H. (2017). Islam Agama Pencerahanan. Suara Muhammadiyah.
Nashir, H. (2019). Indonesia dan keindonesiaan: perspektif sosiologis. Penerbit Suara
Muhammadiyah.
Nashir, H. (2021). Agama, demokrasi, dan politik kekerasan. Republika Penerbit.
Nashir, H. (2023). Muhammadiyah: Ideologi, Wawasan, dan Agenda Gerakan. Materi Dialog
Ideopolitor (Ideologi, Politik, dan Organisasi) Pimpinan Pusat Muhammadiyah. Universitas
Ahmad Dahlan.
Ni’am, S. (2015). Pesantren: the miniature of moderate Islam in Indonesia. Indonesian
Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies, 5(1), 111–134.

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

90

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.
Nugraha, F. M. (2021). Perang melawan penjajah: dari Hindia timur sampai NKRI 1510-1975.
Peacock, J. L. (2017). Purifying the faith: the Muhammadijah movement in Indonesian Islam. The
University of North Carolina Press.
Permata, A. N. (2004). Haidar Nashir, Komitmen Moderasi.
Power, T., & Warburton, E. (2020). Democracy in Indonesia: From stagnation to regression?
ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
Pringle, R. (2010). Understanding Islam in Indonesia: politics and diversity. (No Title).
Qardhawi, Y. (2020). Islam Jalan Tengah: Menjauhi Sikap Berlebihan Dalam Beragam. Mizan
Pustaka.
Qodir, Z., Jubba, H., Hidayati, M., Abdullah, I., & Long, A. S. (2020). A progressive
Islamic movement and its response to the issues of the ummah. Indonesian Journal of
Islam and Muslim Societies, 10(2), 323–352. https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v10i2.323352
Qodir, Z., Jubba, H., Mutiarin, D., & Hidayati, M. (2021). Muhammadiyah identity and
muslim public good: Muslim practices in Java. International Journal of Islamic Thought,
19, 133–146.
Rahman, N. A. A. (2013). Issues on Islam and the Muslims in Singapore post-9/11: An
analysis of the dominant perspective. Encountering Islam: The Politics of Religious Identities
in Southeast Asia, 335.
Ri, T. P. K. A. (2019). Moderasi beragama. Jakarta: Badan Litbang Dan Diklat Kementerian
Agama RI.
RI, T. P. M. B. K. (2020). Peta jalan (roadmap) penguatan moderasi beragama tahun 20202024. Jakarta: Kementerian Agama RI.
Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2018). Essentials of organizational behavior. pearson.
Roberts, K. A., & Yamane, D. (2015). Religion in sociological perspective. Sage Publications.
Rudin, T., Darmawan, C., & Ibrahim, A. B. (2020). Reactualization of intellectualism in
classical islamic thought in indonesia: Comparative study of Muhammadiyah and
Nahdlatul Ulama post reformation. Utopia y Praxis Latinoamericana, 25(1), 249–259.
Saeed, A. (2003). Islam in Australia. (No Title).
Saeed, A. (2005). Interpreting the Qur’an: Towards a Contemporary Approach. Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203016770
Saeed, A. (2006). Islamic Thought. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203015247
Saeed,
A.
(2008).
The
Qur’an:
an
introduction.
Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203938454
Saepudin, A., Supriyadi, T., Surana, D., & Asikin, I. (2023). Strengthening Character
Education: An Action Research in Forming Religious Moderation in Islamic
Education. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 22(12), 84–
105. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.22.12.5
Schwab, K. (2017). The fourth industrial revolution. Crown Currency.

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

91

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

Setyabudi, M. N. P. (2021). Harmoni dalam keragaman: jejak budaya toleransi di Manado,
Bali, dan Bekasi. (No Title).
Shallabi, A. M. (2020). Wasathiyah Dalam Al-Qur’an: Nilai-nilai Moderasi Islam dalam Akidah,
Syariat, dan Akhlak. Pustaka Al-Kautsar.
Shepard, W. E. (2014). Militant movements. Islam in the Modern World, 231–254.
Shihab, A. A. (1995). The Muhammadiyah movement and its controversy with Christian mission in
Indonesia. Temple University.
Shihab, M. Q. (2019). Wasathiyyah Wawasan Islam tentang Moderasi Beragama. Lentera Hati
Group.
Shihab, M. Q. (2020a). Islam & Kebangsaan: Tauhid, Kemanusiaan, dan Kewarganegaraan.
Lentera Hati Group.
Shihab, M. Q. (2020b). Khilafah: Peran Manusia di Bumi. Lentera Hati.
Shihab, M. Q. (2021). Syariah: Ekonomi Bisnis dan Bunga Bank. Lentera Hati.
Shihab, M. Q. (2023). Islam & Politik: Perilaku Politik Berkeadaban. Letera Hati.
Sirry, M. A. (2024). Youth, education, and Islamic radicalism: Religious intolerance in contemporary
Indonesia. University of Notre Dame Press.
Solahuddin, D., & McRae, D. (2013). The roots of terrorism in Indonesia. University of New
South Wales Press.
Solahudin. (2013). The Roots of Terrorism in Indonesia. University of New South Wales Press
Ltd.
Suharto, B. (2019). Moderasi beragama dan masa depan tradisi keilmuan perguruan tinggi
keagamaan Islam Indonesia. Moderasi Beragama Dari Indonesia Untuk Dunia,
Yogyakarta: LKiS Yogyakarta, 1–14.
Suharto, B. (2021). Moderasi Beragama: Dari Indonesia Untuk Dunia. Lkis Pelangi Aksara.
Syahbudin, Z., Raja Ahmad, R. R. M., Kasmiati, K., Zein, N., & Thahir, M. (2023).
Developing Students’ Religious Moderation through Group Counseling at Islamic
Higher
Education.
Jurnal
Pendidikan
Islam,
9(1),
15–28.
https://doi.org/10.15575/jpi.v0i0.22977
Syeirazi, M. (2020). Wasathiyah Islam: anatomi, narasi, dan kontestasi gerakan Islam. alif. id.
Tan, C. (2012). Islamic education and indoctrination: The case in Indonesia. Routledge.
Tegmark, M. (2018). Life 3.0: Being human in the age of artificial intelligence. Vintage.
Tehrani, P. M. (2017). Cyberterrorism: The legal and enforcement issues. World Scientific.
Thought, I. I. of I. (1989). Islamization of knowledge: General principles and work plan (Issue 1).
International Institute of Islamic Thought.
Turmudi, E. (2021). Merajut harmoni, membangun bangsa: memahami konflik dalam masyarakat
Indonesia. Yayasan Pustaka Obor Indonesia.
Ushama, T. (2014). Is Islam a Religion of Moderation or Extremism? A Study of Key
Islamic
Teachings.
Asian
Social
Science,
10(8).
https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v10n8p184
Wahid, D., & Makruf, J. (2017). Suara salafisme radio dakwah di Indonesia. Kencana.

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600

Syamsul Arifin, et. al.

92

LJIH 33 (1) March-2025, 69-92

Waines, D. (2014). Aminah Beverly McCloud, Scott W. Hibbard and Laith Saud (eds): An
Introduction to Islam in the 21st Century. xvii, 328 pp. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell,
2012. £22. ISBN 978 1 4051 9360 3. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies,
77(1), 233–234. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1017/S0041977X13001158
Wildan, M. (2022). Countering Violent Extremism in Indonesia: The Role of Former Terrorists and
Civil Society Organisations BT - Countering Violent and Hateful Extremism in Indonesia:
Islam, Gender and Civil Society (G. Barton, M. Vergani, & Y. Wahid (eds.); pp. 195–
214). Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-2032-4_9
Woodward, M. (1989). Islam in Java: Normative piety and mysticism in the sultanate of
Yogyakarta. In Islam in Java: normative piety and mysticism in the Sultanate of Yogyakarta.
University of Arizona Press, Tucson; Association for Asian Studies Monograph, 45.
Yuristiadhi, G. (2015). Filantropi Masyarakat Perkotaan: Transformasi Kedermawanan oleh
Gerakan Islam di Yogyakarta, 1912-1931. Universitas Gadjah Mada.
Yusuf, M., Alwis, A., Putra, E., Witro, D., & Nurjaman, A. (2023). The Role Of Anak
Jalanan At-Tamur Islamic Boarding School In Internalizing The Values Of Religious
Moderation To College Students In Bandung. Jurnal Ilmiah Islam Futura, 23(1), 132.
https://doi.org/10.22373/jiif.v23i1.15358
Zubaedi, S. Z., Mulyadi, M., Amin, A., Dali, Z., & Asiyah, A. W. (2020). The construction
of religious moderation values in Islamic boarding schools (Pesantren): Efforts to
prevent radicalism in Indonesia. Journal of Talent Development and Excellence, 12, 3613–
3623.

ISSN (Print) 0854-6509 - ISSN (Online) 2549-4600