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of tradition prevailed within the Muslim   teachings. With his tabligha ctivity, K.H.   At the time, the chairman of Jong   tried to distance themselves from
 community, especially in the pesantren   Ahmad Dahlan went against the habits of   Java, Samsul Rijal, proposed during a   two orientations: old-fashioned and
 milieu which was the only Islamic   the people who venerated Muslim clerics.   congress of the organization to make an   stagnant Islam, and the admirers of
 education institution at the beginning of   He showed that clerics were just ordinary   Islamic course program for Javanese   Western civilization, which was secular
 the 20 century. At the time no teacher   human being and the reform movement   youth in Surakarta, but the congress   and only saw religion as an individual
 th
 would go to visit his students as that   meant to abolish the clerical monopoly on   rejected his proposal. When Samsul   phenomenon.
 would be seen as degrading his clerical   religion. (Kuntowijoyo, 2000: xiv-xv). Thus,   Rijal consulted Agus Salim, the latter   The reform movement led the
 status. Girls also did not get religious   the challenges posed by traditionalism   suggested him to establish his own   Indonesian Muslim community to split
 instruction except from their parents   should be faced by prioritizing amar   organization for Muslim youth. Rijal   into modernists and traditionalists.
 at home. At the time, no girls went to   ma’ruf (commanding goodness) by   then founded the Jong Islamieten Bond   Modernists were those who supported
 boarding schools to study religion.  offering good examples and not by nahy   (JIB- Young Islamic Association) and he   the reform movement, characterized by

 Facing this condition, K.H. Ahmad Dahlan   munkar (forbidding evil) that causes   appointed Agus Salim as advisor of this   thinking independently, being inclusive,
 gave a tabli gh (admonitory warning). At   discord within community.  organization. During its first congress,   and most crucially, they selectively
 that time, tabligh were not used in Islamic   After Haji Agus Salim had joined   Salim saw that a curtain (hijab) made of   accepted Western modernism.
 propaganda. Ahmad Dahlan was an ‘alim   the Sarekat Islam (SI), he always   an unfolded fabric separated the men   Traditionalists were those who accepted
 who taught about Islam in his mosque   accompanied its chairman H.O.S.   from the women and he ordered the   the teachings of orthodoxy, were closer
 and he delivered Friday sermons in the   Tjokroaminoto wherever he went. Salim   curtain to be pulled down.   to the source of Islam, the Haramain
 Grand Mosque of Yogyakarta and thus he   was amazed by the way the people   due to their intense relationship with
 occupied an exalted position in the Muslim   cheered the chairman’s arrival when   The Implications of   the area since the beginning of the
 community. Yet, he did not act out his   ever he visited an area. Thousands   Modernization  last century, and they were also close
 role as a privileged figure. Even though   of people greeted him by bowing and   It was mentioned that within the Muslim   to local traditions. Both groups in fact
 he was an ‘alim, Ahmad Dahlan executed   kissing his feet. “Seeing this, Salim told   societies of the Western colonies a sort   shared an orientation to the teachings
 his tabligh to convey his teachings on   Tjokroaminoto that allowing himself to be   of secularization process took place   of orthodoxy; however, the modernists
 Islam by visiting his students, something   venerated like that might be dangerous.   because of the influence of Western   were also selectively oriented to
 that was still taboo at the time. Doing so,   Responding to Salim’s critical remark,   education both for those who studied   Western modernism, where as the
 he changed the public perception that   Tjokroaminto did not get angry his   in their homeland and those who were   traditionalists did not reject traditionalism.
 Muslim clerics occupied high positions   relation with Salim became even more   sent overseas to study in Western   The modernist group organized itself
 and that they possessed spiritual   intimate. Its parked a deal between the   countries. The reformer group of Islam,   in the Muhammadiyah, Persis, and
 advantages unattainable to ordinary   like the Western reformists, was open   al-Irsyad while the traditionalist group
 people and therefore they thought that   two to help each other.”(Tempo, August   to accommodation and assimilation.   reacted by establishing the Nahdlatul
 visiting students was too much below   12 to 18, 2013: 52)  They wanted to produce a new synthesis   Ulama. For several decades, from
 them. Dahlan went to various places while   The Indonesian Muslim community also   between Islam and modern sciences   the 1930s until the 1960s, there were
 he traded batik and to deliver his religious   remembered Agus Salim’s conduct.   and technology. So, the reformers   conflicts between the two groups which,



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