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Malay and Islamic thinking. Raja Ali Haji and his masterpiece, the Tuhfah
al-Nafis will never be forgotten.
With the 20 century came the call for “progress”, Islamic modernism
th
movements, religious debates in Minangkabau, and the Muhammadiyah
30
was founded in Yogyakarta. The early 20 century was also marked by
th
efforts to create an “Islamic ideology”. Anticipating a take-over by the
Semarang Branch of the Sarekat Islam, which had become influenced
by Marxist ideology, Sarekat Islam national figures, especially H.O.S.
Tjokroaminoto and Haji Agus Salim, held the ground for their Islamic
“ideology”. In 1926, Soekarno, a young leader obsessed with the ideal of
the national unity, published his classic article, “Nationalism, Islam and
Marxism” in which he invited these “unifying” elements to unite in the cause
of national ideals. This was on the sidelines of the struggle of thinking about
various cultural aspects of Islam and “how faith could be a stimulus for the
manifestation of a cultural life that was meaningful and dignified for life in
the world and in the hereafter” while the arts developed and manifested
themselves. It is not surprising that langgar, surau, mosques and other
venues showed that the teachings of one Islam manifest themselves in
numerous architectural styles to symbolize regionalism. A plethora of
material culture shows the regional character of the Islamic taste. In addition,
Islamic arts, dance, music, and so on, develop without abandoning regional
styles. Thus, we may say that each field of Indonesian culture has its own
Islamic style. But, despite its different outward and inward manifestations,
Islam remains an ever-present unifying symbol. The same holds true for
Islamic literature. Despite being written in different regional languages and
sometimes bound by their own literary traditions, the message of Islam can
still be captured by those from other regional cultures.

Finally enjoy the wealth of knowledge that has vividly been presented in this
book.

30. A fascinating insight is provided in B.J.O. Schrieke, Pergolakan Agama di Sumatra Barat:
sebuah sumbangan bibliografis” Jakarta: Bhratara 1973 (the original writing was published in
TBG, 59 (1919-1921), 249-325.

18 Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives 19