Religious strand in Indonesia
In the context of
Muslim
society in
Indonesia
,
Traditionalism
or
traditionalist Islam
refers to a religious strand which puts emphasis on preserving traditionally established local rituals and scholarship. Traditionalist Muslims refer to themselves as
ahlussunnah wal-jam?'ah
or
aswaja
.
[1]
Traditionalism is often contrasted with
modernism
, which is inspired by
modernity
and
rationalism
. Traditionalism has been the most adhered Muslim religious orientation in the
history of contemporary Muslim Indonesia
. The extent of traditionalism widely overlaps with the influence of a socio-religious organization
Nahdlatul Ulama
, the biggest Muslim organization in Indonesia.
[a]
Traditionalism is also a critical element within the Muslim intellectual movement known as
Islam Nusantara
.
Usage of the term
[
edit
]
The division between "traditionalism" and "modernism" is widely used by both Indonesians and foreign academics to describe the chasm which has been existed among the contemporary Muslim society in Indonesia.
[1]
Previously, Muslim society in
Java
in particular was analyzed through the division of
abangan
,
santri
and
priyayi
popularized by an anthropologist
Clifford Geertz
based on communal identity. However, this division has already been considered obsolete.
[3]
Greg Barton of
Monash University
states that since the 1950s and 1960s, Indonesian society could be reasonably described based on the traditionalist-modernist dualism.
[4]
Definition
[
edit
]
Traditionalism is broadly defined by adherence toward four
maddhabs
(Islamic schools of jurisprudence) within the
fiqh
scholarship, especially the
Shafi'i
maddhab, and education based on
pesantren
, an Islamic boarding school system indigenous to the Indonesian archipelago.
[5]
Traditionalism highly regards the position and guidance of
ulamas
(Muslim intellectual on religious issues) from the classical era, and local or communal
kyais
(an indigenous title for religious leaders). Traditionalists are also commonly understood as Muslims who are more accepting toward
pluralism
and interfaith
tolerance
. This understanding and the term itself, however, can be problematic as it doesn't always reflect the complex and diverse reality on the ground. Some other terms are often used in a similar context, notably "substantialist", "orthodox", "moderate",
[1]
or "
kaum tua
".
[b]
History
[
edit
]
Islam in Indonesia was initially spread through merchant activity by Arab traders as well as proselytization by
Sufi
saints. These Sufi missionaries, along with Shafi'i maddhab they brought in, could flexibly accommodate local practices and traditions. Local beliefs or practices of
Hindu
or
animist
origins were incorporated and became part of the traditions such as saint veneration known as
Ziyarat
, honorific title of kyai, or pesantren as an educational institution. Ulama and kyais, mostly wealthy landowners of rural area, were authoritative figures in this system, and
santri
(students) learned Islam through
taqlid
(rote learning) and
kitab kuning
. Distinct characteristics of traditionalism are based on such syncretism and rural communal dynamics.
[1]
[5]
From the late 19th to early 20th century, increasing numbers of Muslims have studied in the Middle East, where reformist thoughts such as
Islamic modernism
and
Wahhabism
were taking hold. These Muslims with reformist mindset, mostly highly educated urban dwellers, established the modernist organization
Muhammadiyah
in 1912, and advocated for purification of such traditions based on puritanical teachings derived from the
Qur'an
and
Hadith
alone. Local ulamas and kyais, threatened by such movements, have established Nahdlatul Ulama in
East Java
as a response (1929). Other notable traditionalist organizations included the
Islamic Education Association
(Perti) in
West Sumatra
(1930), and
Nahdlatul Wathan
in
Lombok
(1952).
[3]
[5]
[6]
Among main Islamic
political parties in Indonesia
, only the
United Development Party
, the oldest of them, follows traditionalist Islam as an ideology.
[7]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Approximately 40 to 60 million Muslims in Indonesia are affiliated with or influenced by Nahdlatul Ulama.
[2]
- ^
The term
kaum tua
means "older generation". This term is used in contrast with the term
kaum muda
which means "younger generation" for modernists. The
kaum muda
-
kaum tua
dichotomy was often used in the early 20th century West Sumatra.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Bush, 2009.
- ^
Mujani & Liddle, 2004.
- ^
a
b
Von Der Mehden, 1995.
- ^
Barton, 1994.
- ^
a
b
c
Feener, 2007.
- ^
Kementerian Penerangan Republik Indonesia (1951).
Kepartaian di Indonesia
(PDF)
. Jakarta: Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Republik Indonesia. p. 72.
- ^
Yuniarto, Topan (2022-01-05).
"Partai Persatuan Pembangunan"
[United Development Party].
Kompaspedia
(in Indonesian).
Kompas
. Retrieved
2024-03-11
.
References
[
edit
]
- Barton, G. (1994). The Impact of Neo-modernism on Indonesian Islamic Thought: The Emergence of a New Pluralism. In D. Bourchier and J. Legge (Eds.),
Democracy in Indonesia: 1950s and 1990s
(pp.143-150). Clayton: Centre of Southeast Asian Studies, Monash University.
- Bush, R. (2009).
Nadhlatul Ulama & the Struggle for Power within Islam & Politics in Indonesia
. Singapore: ISEAS Publishing.
- Feener, M. (2007).
Muslim Legal Thought in Modern Indonesia
. New York: Cambridge University Press.
- Mujani, S. and Liddle, R.W. (2004). Politics, Islam and Public Opinion.
Journal of Democracy
, 15(1), 109-123.
- Von Der Mehden, F.R. (1995). Indonesia. In J.L. Esposito (Ed),
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World
. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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