State and religion : considering indonesian islam as model of democratisation for the muslim world

This recognition is because Indonesia has hinted more progress and improvement in democracy and human rights than other Muslim countries such as Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan. Freedom of press, the implementation of fair general elections, the distribution of power among the state institutions and some many others are main indicators depicting the rapid democratisation of Indonesia

FATWA ALIRAN SESAT DAN POLITIK HUKUM MAJELIS ULAMA INDONESIA (MUI)

MUI (The Indonesian Council of Ulama) is an institution established by the government of Indonesia that one of its functions is to formulate religious fatwas. The existence of the MUI as the representatives of various religious organizations, and therefore claimed to be the big tent of Muslims, became the basis for the existence of these functions. Nevertheless MUI’s fatwas on religious denominations in Indonesia, is considered partly responsible for the occurrence of discriminatory behavior and violence based on religion. This article would like to see the political aspects of the law on the MUI’s fatwas about the deviant groups which is considered as a barrier of religous freedom in Indonesia and at the same time as the trigger acts of violence based on religion. MUI’s fatwas about the deviant groups can be analyzed in at least two approaches. First, in the perspective of the discourse of blasphemy, and second from the perspective of the discourse of legal pluralism, institutionalizing MUI, and theology

Facing the New Millenium: The 30th NU Congress at the End of the 20th Century

Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the Indonesian largest traditionalist Muslim organization with more than 30 million followers nationwide, faced the challenge of the new millennium by successfully bolding its 30th congress (muktamar) at Pesantren Lirboyo in Kediri, East Java. Approximately one million Nahdliyyins, as NU followers, are called to have enjoyed one of NU's biggest event cultural and ceremonial events for five day from November 22nd until November 27th 1999. The majority of participants came from Java, but many others came from as far away as Sumatera, Sulawesi, Kalimantan and Maluku.DOI: 10.15408/sdi.v7i1.72

Constructing Muslim Identity in a Secular State: The Strategic Role of Two Singapore Islamic Organizations

In Singapore, Islamic identity matters mainly because Muslims and Malays have special constitutional status. However, state policies seem to contradict the status while the community is still dealing with the problem of backwardness in educational and economic development. This article examines the profile and strategic role of two Islamic organizations, MUIS (Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore) and Pergas (Persatuan Ulama dan Guru-Guru Agama Islam Singapura, Singapore Islamic Scholars, and Religious Teachers Association), in accommodating the expression and reconstructing Singaporean Muslim identity. Through intensive library research and using an interdisciplinary approach from social constructivist and fiqh of minorities’ perspectives, this article found that both have played a very important role in the expression and construction of Singaporean Muslim identity. There have been dynamic contestation and cooperation between the state policies towards the Muslim community. However, the global effect of Islamist extremism and terrorism has united them in terms of religious thought, attitude, and the formulation of the ideal Singaporean Muslim identity. The changing process of their stances toward the government’s policies was effective due to the function of fiqh of minorities in contextualizing Islamic teachings in the context of Singapore as a secular state.Bagi negara sekuler dan masyarakat multikultural seperti Singapura identitas Muslim menjadi masalah terutama karena Muslim dan Melayu memiliki status khusus secara konstitusional tetapi kebijakan negara tampak berlawanan dengan posisi tersebut, selain ketertinggalan komunitas tersebut dalam bidang pendidikan dan ekonomi dibandingkan dengan komunitas-komunitas Cina dan India. Artikel ini mengulas peran strategis dua organisasi Islam paling berpengaruh di Singapura, yakni Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) dan Persatuan Ulama dan Guru-Guru Agama Islam Singapura (Pergas) dalam mengonstruksi identitas Muslim di Singapura terutama ketika merespons kebijakan negara. Melalui studi literatur, artikel ini menemukan bahwa dua organisasi besar Islam, MUIS dan Pergas memainkan peranan sangat penting dalam konstruksi identitas Muslim Singapura dan terdapat respons yang dinamis kedua organisasi Islam tersebut terhadap kebijakan-kebijakan negara. Berbeda dengan kebanyakan ahli yang menekankan faktor dominan imaginasi dan diskursus pemerintah, konstruksi identitas Muslim tersebut sangat bergantung pada internal komunitas Muslim sendiri terutama kedua organisasi Islam tersebut termasuk dalam merespons kebijakan negara terhadap komunitas Muslim

FATWA ALIRAN SESAT DAN POLITIK HUKUM MAJELIS ULAMA INDONESIA (MUI)

MUI (The Indonesian Council of Ulama) is an institution established by the government of Indonesia that one of its functions is to formulate religious fatwas. The existence of the MUI as the representatives of various religious organizations, and therefore claimed to be the big tent of Muslims, became the basis for the existence of these functions. Nevertheless MUI’s fatwas on religious denominations in Indonesia, is considered partly responsible for the occurrence of discriminatory behavior and violence based on religion. This article would like to see the political aspects of the law on the MUI’s fatwas about the deviant groups which is considered as a barrier of religous freedom in Indonesia and at the same time as the trigger acts of violence based on religion. MUI’s fatwas about the deviant groups can be analyzed in at least two approaches. First, in the perspective of the discourse of blasphemy, and second from the perspective of the discourse of legal pluralism, institutionalizing MUI, and theology

Challenging a Home Country: A Preliminary Account of Indonesian Student Activism in Berlin, Germany

This article gives an overview on Indonesian student activism in Berlin, Germany. Based on documents (published and unpublished), interviews, and conversations with former and current student activists, the paper scrutinizes the trajectory of activism of Indonesian students in the capital of Germany since the 1960s and asks about the evolution of specific student organizations, the issues and topics they tackled, and their media and networking strategies. The article illustrates the activities of the PPI Berlin as a dominant example of Indonesian students’ political activism abroad and the activities of Indonesian Muslim students as a prominent example of religious-based activism which has gained significance since the fall of Suharto. These examples indicate the diversity of Indonesian student activists in Berlin that are nevertheless united in their aspirations to challenge politics back home

Religious Pluralism Revisited: Discursive Patterns of the Ulama Fatwa in Indonesia and Malaysia

As a long-established fundamental value of both Indonesia and Malaysia, religious pluralism has become a highly contested issue. A common tendency among the dominant Muslim groups in Indonesia and Malaysia, promoted by their fatwa bodies, has been to revisit religious pluralism. This article poses questions: how pluralism is defined, discussed and contested in both countries; why mainstream Islamic groups reconstruct the meaning of the term; which arguments are used by these groups; and what impact this has on legal discourse and legal practice in both countries. With these questions, this article focuses on fatwas issued by the Indonesian Council of Ulama and the National Fatwa Council of Malaysia. The article discusses the incorporation of fatwas into state policy in both countries, social disputes and contestation over fatwas. The theoretical frameworks used are taken from interdisciplinary discourses on transnationalism, pluralism, Islamic legal theory, legal pluralism and the public sphere

Indonesia’s Growing Halal Market : Impact on the Economy

Indonesia remains the largest Muslim country in the world in terms of population. In 2019, Indonesia will officially implement a law on Halal Product Assurance. This legal framework will potentially turn Indonesia into the largest halal market in the world. What are its implications