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people in general did not cause disunity   had severely restricted Muslims political   groups. Apparently, the Muslims’   conditions of political consolidation and
 but rather constituted a major force in   activities.  political representation shortly before   accelerating economic development,
 establishing democracy in Indonesia.  Independence was verysmall compared   Soeharto implemented his policy by
 During the Japanese occupation there   to that of the dominating nationalist   way of restricting political parties. A
 Conclusion  was a shift in Indonesian Muslims’   groups. Fierce tussles and debates   simplification of political parties was
 political movements. Japan tried to
 The political role of the Muslims in   approach the leaders of Islam in order   about the kind of foundation and the   enforced so that the existing parties
 Indonesia from pre-Independence   to rekindle their anti-Dutch spirit and   format of the new state of Indonesia had   had to be united in three political
 period until the contemporary period has   it tried to strengthen its position in   sprung up especially about the option to   streams only, the functionalist group
 experienced ups and downs as well as   Indonesia by opening political channels   make Indonesia an Islamic state based   (Golkar), Indonesian Democratic Party
 a varietyof dynamics. During the Dutch   to Muslims. Various political institutions   on Islamic ideology. In the end, the   (PDI), and United Development Party
 colonial period, the political movements   and organizations for Muslims were   Islamic leaders showed that they wanted   (PPP). Soeharto then applied the
 of Muslims were divided into two groups:   formed and they received a positive   to compromise and they adopted an   single principle policy that forced all
 those willing to cooperate with the Dutch   response from the leaders of Islam at   accommodating stance in order not to   organizations and political parties to
 government and had joined the People’s   that time. Muslims were accommodated   stand in the way of the formation of the   adhere to the principle of the Pancasila.
 Council, and groups that refused to   in institutions formed by the Japanese   independent state of Indonesia.  Although Islamic circles had opposed it,
 join because they thought the People’s   government, viz. the Office of Religious   In both the Old and New Order periods,   in the end this policy was successfully
 Council was ineffective in the struggle   Affairs, Masjumi, and Hizbullah. In   the Muslims’ political struggle also   implemented and came to be accepted
 for the fate of the Indonesian nation.   this era, there was a shift in the elites’   experienced different dynamics.   by the social and political organizations
 The SI’s initial high hopes because of its   political role in Indonesia from the   Debates between the Islamic and   in Indonesia.
 presence in the People’s Council turned   aristocratic gentry (priyayi) to santri.   nationalist groups continued under   In the Soeharto’s era when the regime’s
 to disappointment when the motions it   Consequently, nationalist groups   Soekarno. However, the debates during   policies tended to restrict Muslim politics,
 addressed to the Dutch government were   experienced a marginalization of their   Soekarno’s era could be ended by   Muslim’s young leaders managed to
 rejected. This disappointment deepened   political role.  forcing the Islamists groups to accept   circumvented them by formulating a new
 when the Dutch detained Tjokroaminoto,   the government’s decision to restore   political strategy.
 which indirectly prevented him to remain   The politics of Muslims in Indonesia   the 1945 Constitution through the 1959
 in the People’s Council. Since the SI   continued to experience ups and   A political transformation took place in
 expressed its dissatisfaction with the   downs. In the preparation era before   presidential decree. Under Soekarno,   order to temper the hostile relationships
          Guided Democracy was in force and the
 Dutch government’s policies and had   Indonesian Independence, Muslim’s   Masjumi was disbanded, hence the only   between Islam and the state. By not
 taken more radical political measures by   political roles suffered. Both the BPUPKI   turning Islamic parties into the sole
 adopting a non-cooperative stance. In   and PPKI, institutions established to   Islamic party to survive was the NU party.  objective of the Muslims’ struggle,
 the course of SI’s political adventures,   prepare Indonesian Independence,   The New Order regime pursued   they began to pay attention to other,
 it started to decline because of internal   accommodated the political currents   an almost similar policy towards   neglected social and intellectual fields.
 conflicts. In general, the Dutch policies   of Islamic, nationalist, and socialist   Muslim political movements. Under   From then on, Muslim activists began to



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