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in some regions, occasionally might   commemoration of the dead on the   even into public schools like SMP (Junior   of certain Qur’anic verses. What the
 incite violence. The conflicts generally   3 , 7 , 40 , 100 , and 1,000  days, as   High School) and SMA (Senior High   Muhammadiyah and the NU particularly
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 centered on the dissimilarities in some   well as annual commemorations (haul).   School) within the pesantrens. The fact   cannot accept is the Salafi ideology
 subsidiary rituals of worship. The   Modernists avoid excessive accolades to   that the Muslim younger generations   about the nature of God. The Salafis
 commonly prevailing characteristic of   religious teachers, clerics and scholars,   massively entered modern education   believe that the manifestation of God is
 the Muhammadiyah is that the call for   sheikhs of mystical orders, and tawasul,   also gradually reduced the differences.   really anthropomorphic (tajsim), and that
 prayer (azan) for the Friday congregation   but traditionalists continue to do so.   Since the 1980s, the dichotomy between   He can be located in a specific place,
 (jumatan) is done only once, while the   Similarly, Sufism and certain vocations   traditionalists and modernists had been   namely on the Throne. The NU and the
 Nahdlatul Ulama usually does it twice.   of the mystical orders, which the   fading and the distinctive characteristics   Muhammadiyah are strongly opposed
 The Muhammadiyah used to practice   modernists rejected, were all practiced   discussed above became less useful   to this anthropomorphic view. What the
 the Tarawih prayer (at night during the   by traditionalists.  to differentiate between modernist and   NU and the Muhammadiyah also share
 month Ramadan) as much as 8 raka’at   traditionalist groups. Entering the 3 rd   is their opposition against the attitude
 (lit. bows), plus 3 raka’at of Witir (the   The differences are not limited to   millennium, the Muhammadiyah and   of the Salafis who feel that they are the
 Vigil prayer). The Nahdlatul Ulama in its   religious rituals, but also in ways of   the NU were no longer hostile towards   most correct and that they categorize
 turn, runs 23 raka’at, which include the   dress and speaking, and educational   each other, but started to collaborate.   those who dissent as ahlul bid’ah
 Witir. The modernists do not pronounce   orientation. If traditionalists chose   The leaders of both groups are closer to   (heretics), which also means infidels.
 their intention before every ritual   boarding schools as ideal places to   each other and work together to generate   In the process of approaching each other
 worship, while according to the NU the   educate their children, modernists chose   welfare for all the people.  to achieve the “unification” of modernists
 pronouncement (talafuz) of the intention   public schools, instead. Traditionalists   This “unification” process was perhaps   and traditionalists, the differences
 has to be made. These differences are   chose agriculture as their livelihood,   caused by the common challenges   between their religious practices were no
 the sources of the conflicts and are used   whereas the modernists chose modern   they, namely the Wahhabi Salafi group   longer as striking as before. Mysticism,
 to tease each other.  vocations as employees, employers, or   that had begun to blossom since the   for example, which the modernists
 traders. In the field of art, traditionalists
 Traditionalists used to perform various   preferred to engage in samroh, barzanji,   end of the 20  century and became   originally opposed, is now beginning to
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 rituals associated with the events of a   rodad and salawatan while modernists   much larger by the last decade. The   be appreciated. Sufism has long suffered
 person’s life cycle and they indulged in   rather developed the art of orchestras,   Salafis were actually puritan like the   from marginalization the emerging
 commemorations of the dead, which the   music bands, and drama.  Muhammadiyah, but they were also   modernist orientation which assumed
 modernists considered heretical. The   radical and confrontational in facing   Sufism was not original Islamic teaching.
 modernists only performed life cycle   Nevertheless, over time these differences   what they call heresies. Although   Modernists among the inhabitants of
 rituals that accord with Islamic guidance   gradually become in significant. Entering   puritan, the Muhammadiyah still   urban areas strongly objected to the
 like akikah (a feast 7  days after the birth   the 1970s, many traditionalist began to   accommodates to local culture.   practice of Sufism in the form of a long
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 of a baby), circumcision and wedding.   apply for enrolment in public schools.   Moreover, there are some fundamental   series of repetitive recitations (wird)
 Traditionalist also perform rituals on   Boarding schools started to adopt school   differences between the two in their   following certain pronouncements and
 the 4 and 7 months of pregnancy,   systems and turned into madrasahs, or   views on heresy and the interpretation   their unique invocation techniques
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