The rise of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia : identity, ideology and religio-political mobilization

This thesis investigates the emergence and growth of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI; Party of Liberation). HTI is a branch of the international movement, Hizb ut-Tahrir. The party has been very successful at utilising political space to recruit and mobilize activists, build loyaI cadres with a deep grasp of its ideology, and most importantly, create a common identity among members. Its ability to forge a collective identity within the movement has led to a high rate of membership retention. Drawing on extensive interviews conducted in the field, the thesis describes the journey a person undergoes before becoming a member of HTI. The interviews will focus on the processes of 'culturing' and socialization to which prospective recruits are subject, which result in behavioural, cognitive and affective changes. It is this transformation that produces a distinctive Hizb ut-Tahrir identity. This study notes that while collective identity is the most important factor in HTI's growth, it is by no means the only one. Other factors have also contributed to its growth. The open political system that followed the collapse of the authoritarian New Order govemment enabled the party to emerge publicly after some two decades of underground activity, and begin overtly recruiting members and launching collective actions. I examine the party's resource mobilization strategies and examine how these strategies have resulted in its successful membership recruitment, raising of funds and expansion of its organizational structure. Consideration is also given to how the party's anti-systemic rationalistic ideology has led to potential members choosing HTI over other Islamist movements in Indonesia. This thesis employs a structural-cognitive approach to understanding the growth of HTI. The political opportunity structure and resource mobilization variant of the social movement theory will be utilized to understand the structural factors that impacted HTI. The cognitive factors will be explained by using the theories of ideology and identity. This theoretical approach allows for a more comprehensive understanding of HTI's growth

Hizbut Tahrir Malaysia: the Emergence of a New Transnational Islamist Movement in Malaysia

This paper looks at the Hizbut Tahrir of Malaysia and places it in the context of the wider and deeper development of Muslim politics and mass mobilisation across Asia and the world at large. While much has been written about the Hizbut Tahrir of Indonesia (HTI), little is known about the HTM. This paper traces the initial arrival of the HT to Malaysia, via the network of Malaysian students and activists who were educated abroad and who have managed to build their own inter-personal networks and relationships outside the parameters of mainstream political Islam and the state apparatus in the country. Furthermore it is interesting to note that HTM in Malaysia takes its own unique stand on Islamic issues with relation to the mainstream Islamic party PAS and the Malay-Muslim UMNO party. The paper therefore attempts to locate the ideological positioning of the HTM in the wider context of Islamist politics in contemporary Malaysia and to analyse its relationship to the wider currents of ethno-communal as well as religious politics in the country as a whole

Pakistan and Benazir : the way forward

The killing of Benazir Bhutto has once again thrown Pakistan into a state of turmoil. The landscape of Pakistani politics may be altered completely. The turbulence and instability could be overcome if the two main opposition parties come together to form a unity government

Tunisia : new model for progressive Islamism?

The current upheaval in Tunisia has caused some concerns in the West that Islamist groups would fill the political void by proclaiming an Islamic state. A closer scrutiny of its main Islamist party, the An-Nahda, reveals that a new progressive model of Islamism might be taking shape