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represented by organizations such
430 Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives
“Islamic forces” that had been deployed inclusive Islam include the Paramadina
as the Islamic Defenders Front (Front in conflict areas. Others had been
Pembela Islam, FPI, 1998), Laskar involved in acts of violence against
Jihad (LJ, 1999), the Indonesian ethnic and minority groups, as well
Mujahidin Council (Majelis Mujahidin as in vigilantism against individuals or
Indonesia, MMI, 2000), the Muslims groups they considered to contravene
Community Forum (Front Umat Islam, or offend the Islamic beliefs of the
FUI), the Jama’ah Islamiyah (JI), and majority. Last but not least, the PKS is
the Liberation Party of Indonesia a political channel for young Muslim
(Hizbut-Tahrir Indonesia, HTI) campus activists and it has become the
which had become more and more political vehicle for supporters of Islamic
consolidated despite having itsroots revivalists.
in the period before the Reform era However, at the other end of the
started. 60
spectrum, the strengthening Islamic
The strengthening of Islamic exclusivism in Indonesia produced
fundamentalism also extended to the a response in the emergence of
political arena with the founding of the inclusive and even liberal Islamist
Justice Party (Partai Keadilan, PK, 1998) groups. The Liberal Islam Network
61
that later became the Prosperous Justice (Jaringan Islam Liberal, JIL) was formed
Party (Partai Keadilan Sejahtera, PKS), in 2001 and, according to one of its
the Crescent Star Party (Partai Bulan founders was formed in response to
Bintang, PBB), in addition to the United the radical Islamic movementsthat
Development Party (PPP) that tuned its vehementlybrandishedthe flag of
principles back to Islam. In addition to jihad. In addition to JIL, adherents to
62
supporting the implementation of Islamic 61. Komaruddin Hidayat 2005, “Contemporary
law in Indonesia, some organizations Liberal Islam in Indonesia, Pluralism and the
were concerned or even directly involved Secular State”, in Chaider S. Bamualim (ed.),
A Portrait of Contemporary Indonesian Islam,
in religious violence. In the late 1990s (Jakarta: Pusat Bahasa dan Budaya UIN Jakarta
and early 2000s, some of them had and Konard-Adenauer-Stiftung).
been involved in the mobilization of the 62. Luthfi Assyaukanie 2009, “Fatwa and Violence
in Indonesia”, Journal of Religion and Society, vol.
60. Jamhari and Jajang Jahroni 2004, Gerakan 11, p. 1-21. See also Muhamad Ali 2005, “The Rise
Salafi Radikal di Indonesia, (Jakarta: PT of the Liberal Islam Network (JIL) in Contemporary
RajaGrafindo Persada). Indonesia”, American Journal of Islamic Social
goodness and eliminating evil”. The
Foundation, the Wahid Institute, the MUI also firmly positioned itself as the
Muhammadiyah Young Intellectual powerful bearer of the moral movement
Network, and many pro-democracy to save guard the propriety of social
and human rights groups and non- life. This vision, according Ichwan
governmental organizations (NGOs). (2005), showed that the MUI’s had
In era reformation the MUI has in many changed significantly in two respects:
ways changed in -- ranging from it’s the first, the MUI is now less close to the
membership structure up to its activities government and more attuned to the
and the trends in the fatwas it issued. changing aspirations of the Muslims.
Along with the rise of conservative- Second, using the strategy of the
radical Islamic organizations, the post- Islamic Reformists, the MUI led the
1998 membership of the MUI became organization and Indonesian Muslims to
more dominated by representatives of adopt a more orthodox ways of living.
64
63
Islamist groups. The MUI’s visions Changes became more apparent with
had also changed, especially in the the publication of the fatwas of the
context of the objectives of its fatwas MUI from this era which revealed that
and its relation with the state. The they had started to enter the realm of
2000 MUI National Conference, for politicsandtended to be intolerant and
example, produced the formulation of insensitive to Human Rights.
the organization’s new vision. It stated Unlike the fatwas the MUI issued during
that the MUI was: 1) the successors of the New Order regime, in the early
the Prophet to spread Islamic teachings period of the Reformation, precisely
and to improve the life of the Muslim under B.J. Habibie’s presidency,
community, 2) to issue fatwas based the MUI’s political position began to
both on issues requested by Muslims emerge. The tendency among some
and unsolicited ones, 3) a counselor political elite to doubt the legitimacy of
and a public servant, 4) an agent Habibie’s presidency after he replaced
of the reform movements (al-islah Soeharto, for example, had moved the
wa al-tajdid), and 5) the upholder of
the Qur’anic doctrine of “calling for MUI to gather all its members’ support
for Habibie. The MUI issued a political
Sciences, vol. 22, no. 1: 1–17.
63. Ichwan 2005, “Ulama, State and Politics”, p. 51. 64. Ichwan 2005, “Ulama, State and Politics”, p. 50.
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