Islam in Indonesia has always been multifaceted

Muhamad Ali, Manoa

An adequate understanding of the history and contemporary nature of Islam in Indonesia has been and is still crucial in dealing with national, regional and world affairs.

There have been two streams of thought on Indonesia's religious character among the public, policy makers and scholars. Many observe that hard-liners are still the most conspicuous phenomena in the country. "Religious" problems are still a real potential threat.

Intimidation, sweeping operations conducted against foreigners, and overly religious politics (such as the war cry of jihad) nationally and locally, which often feature Middle Eastern dress, have contributed to the portrayal of actual and potential radicalism in the country. Others, such as Giora Eliraz in his book Islam in Indonesia: Modernism, Radicalism and the Middle East Dimension, suggest that moderation and intellectual and organizational pluralism are the true characteristics of Indonesia's Islam. Islamic radicalism to which only a minority adhere in Indonesia has historical and contemporary connections with modernism in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and South Asia.

Yet, according to this viewpoint, in Indonesia radical Islam never historically or contemporarily becomes a dominant or influential actor in national and regional affairs.

There is still some argument that Indonesia's Islam reflects the nature of Islam in the Middle East. Concerns for Palestine- Israel conflicts and the Iraq war in the political scene, as well as the international pilgrimage in Mecca, the traditional Islamic schools (madrasah), and religious movements, have indicated that Islam in Indonesia is simply a copy of Islam in the Middle East, they argue.

Islamic radicalism that has often involved Arab faces and symbols also supports this observation. Some scholarly works, such as Globalized Islam by Gilles Kepel also pay much attention to the globalized dimension of Islam including Indonesia. What happens in the Middle East has some resonance among Indonesian Muslims and what is there can always be found here.

National or more localized aspects of Islam in Indonesia have now been given more emphasis. Islam in Indonesia is Islam within the context of the state ideology of Pancasila, which combines divinity, humanity, nationalism, democracy and social justice within the context of local culture and history. Some elements of national and local values have been Islamized, but more aspects or teachings of Islam have been nationalized and localized. This can be seen from the differences between Islam in Aceh and Islam in Sulawesi, for example.

The Forum for the Indonesian Muslim Community, recently held by national Islamic organizations, for example, has also demonstrated how Islam should also be contextualized in Indonesia. More local problems, such as corruption and poverty deserve more attention, although international issues such as the erroneous link between Islam and terrorism and the Palestinian struggle gain attention.

Also more daily scenes of Islam in Indonesia can be seen on TV programs and read in printed publications. More Islamic programs are localized, dealing with local problems and issues. The past cases of the Laskar Jihad in Ambon and the recent case of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI)'s allegation that Dewa, a local band, had insulted Islam through using a symbol of God in their new album, can be regarded as indicators of Islam being more localized.

The difference between santri (good Muslims) and abangan (nominal, syncretic Muslims) as systematized by American anthropologist Clifford Geertz in the 1960s, also shows localized Islam in Indonesia, although it has now become more complicated, especially with the use of more Western global categories such as fundamentalists, radicals, moderates, liberals, and so forth.

There is some truth in saying that fundamentalism, moderate and radical, has emerged predominantly from and in "secular" universities and institutions, rather than from Islamic institutions, madrasah or pesantren. But the kind of fundamentalism that they show is not necessarily similar to fundamentalism in Pakistan, Egypt, Iran or Saudi Arabia.

Thus, Islam in Indonesia can be said to be both globalized and localized. It can also be said that Islam in Indonesia is sometimes more global and sometimes more local, depending on the issues being raised. It follows that Islam in Indonesia has been always complex and multifaceted.

In this regard, what is connected with globalized Islam should not be understood as always negative. Globalization has multiple impacts on religions. Global communications have facilitated a globalized Islam, whether radical or moderate. Islamic moderation is also part of international Islam through international programs and publications that emphasize Islam as a blessing for humanity.

By the same token, not all localized Islam is positive for the people and the country. For example, the superstitious religiosity has also gained some appreciations, as in some TV programs and publications that stress short-cuts in dealing with complex realities. Rational religiosity has been challenged by the more superstitious, lazy attitudes in solving real problems. Islam can also be localized in the wrong way by promoting domestic and public violence, gender disparity and or perpetuating local corrupt leaders.

Therefore, if one has to make some generalizations about Islam in Indonesia, one should understand that such generalizations are merely a simplification of complex realities. This is partly because transmitters and interpreters of Islam in Indonesia have increased considerably due to the availability of more means of communication, more diverse educational backgrounds, and more complicated human and social problems. Religious authority has thus been dispersed. Islam in Indonesia is globalized, localized, and even personalized, and therefore is a truly complex faith and reality.

The writer is a PhD candidate in History at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, a fellow at the East-West Center, Honolulu, and a lecturer at the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, Jakarta. He can be reached at muhali74@hotmail.com