• The Southeast Asian review
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.181-215
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• 2013

The purpose of this paper is to examine the process of Islamic change in Indonesia since the 1970s, which is commonly called 'Islamic resurgence' or 'Islamization.' A brief analysis of the reasons for Islamic resurgence is followed by discussions on its long-term effects on the life of Indonesian Muslims. Shift in the ways Islamic matters have been treated in public, gradual realization of what Islamic groups have demanded in non-religious areas, stipulation of local regulation based on shariah and spread of radicalism are to be investigated one by one. With these examinations, it will be argued that the most significant change throughout the last four decades has been the surge of Islam as a reference point to interpret everyday life of Muslims. The dichotomy of 'Islamic' and 'non-Islamic' is instated as a key in Islamic discourse and the Quran and Hadith, as a criterion to judge whether certain views and behavior are Islamic or not. These have strengthened the position of scripturalism in Indonesian Islam. Islamic resurgence has also resulted in the acceleration of the diversification of Indonesian Muslims. Muslims with radical, fundamental, reformist, traditional and liberal views coexist, competing for stronger social and religious influences. As radical and fundamental groups have been more active in dealing with socio-political affairs recently, whether their active involvement will result in wider influences over the ordinary Muslims is the key to understand the future dynamics of Indonesian Islam.

• The Southeast Asian review
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.155-182
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• 2011

The purpose of this paper is to examine the process of Islamization in Java, focusing on religious discourse among Muslim intellectuals. How Islamic tradition and knowledge have been perceived and utilized and how they have interacted with those of non-Islamic origin will be discussed. For this, three Islam-related books written in different phases of Islamization are to be analyzed: Babad Tanah Jawi compiled by Mataram court in the 17th century, Serat Cabolek written by a court poet in the late 18th or early 19th century, and Fikih Anti-korupsi published by reformist and scriptural organization of Muhammadiyah in 2006. Babad portrays conversion to Islam as a process which does not demand a dramatic outward change in religious practice. Scriptural tradition of Islam and the dichotomy between what is Islamic and what is not were not mentioned in order to explain conversion. Spiritual and mystical enlightenment was emphasized heavily, and for this, the importance of non-Islamic traditions was fully acknowledged. Serat tells us that this period was characterized by the surge of scriptural and shariah-minded Islam, maintenance of non-Islamic traditions, clashes between scriptural Islam and old religious traditions, and Javanese efforts to harmonize these. In Fikih, non-Islamic tradition is replaced by scriptural Islam and disappears totally. Interpretations based on the Scriptures, however, do not monopolize it and are used together with mode of analysis from the West. It is too much to call this 'intellectual syncretism', in that Islamic Scriptures and Western knowledge do not mix but stand side by side. Three books under examination reveal that the process of Islamization in Java has not been uniform. It has been conditioned and shaped by local socio-cultural and historical circumstances, where active engagement and intellectual exercise of Javanese Muslims have played key roles. Even Islamization in the last few decades is not an exception. The surge of scripturalism and fundamentalism does not simply bring about a move to Arabization. Interacting with local intellectual and socio-cultural milieu, this has produced a sort of intellectual hybridity, which is unique to Muslim society of Java.