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such as mathematics, English, Dutch,   Through al-Imam and the Iqbal School,   Muslims in those areas started to   the role and spirit of al-Imam, which   The booth of the
 geography, and history. In addition,   Thaher Djalaluddin manage to built a   participate in the reformist project by   had stopped publishing in 1908.    publisher Mizan in
                                                                              23
 schools and madrasahs also introduced   strong connection between Southeast   expressing the need for a formulation of   Hadji Abdullah Ahmad the founder and   2014 at the Indonesia
 new educational methods adopted   Asian Islam and Islamic reformism in   Islamic doctrines in a modern spirit. They   editor, al-Munir’s, actually “imitated the   International Book Fair.
 from Western educational institutions.   Cairo. He laid the foundations for the   began to establish modern organizations,   slogans and the format of al-Imam”.    This event was first held
                                                                                 24
 Therefore, schools and madrasahs   emergence of a new face of Islam   Western-style schools, ant they   Abdullah Ahmad had a close relation   in 2006 in Jakarta.
 played important roles in elevating the   different from traditional Islam that   published magazines, newspapers, and   with al-Imam and its representatives in   Source: Directorate of
 Islamic reform movement and these   had been formed long ago under   books. In the Netherlands Indies, Padang   Padang Panjang. His visit to Singapore   History and Cultural
 new scholars rapidly became a religious   ulama power. Therefore, besides kitab,   in West Sumatra was the first region   Values, Ministry of
 authority that rivaled traditional ulamas.  Southeast Asian Muslims began to learn   where the seeds of Islamic reformism   in 1908 seemed to have given him   Education and Culture
                                                 the opportunity to become acquainted
 Besides al-Imam, educational reform was   from the products of the printed media   were sown.  Muslim reformers in that   with the technical skills of magazine   of the Republic of
                    22
 the other concern of Thaher Djalaluddin.   and in addition to pesantrens and suraus;   area had become known as the Young   publication management.  He was the   Indonesia.
                                                                        25
 Soon after starting the publication of   madrasahs emerged as new Muslim   Group (kaum muda) and they were
 al-Imam, in 1907, he became a teacher   educational institutions. Fatwa requests   the first group to voice their desire for   23.  Ahmat bin Adam, The Vernacular Press
                                                 and the Emergence of Modern Indonesian
 in the newly established Madrasah al-  started to be sent to magazines and   Islamic reformism, primarily through their   Consciousness (1855-1913), (Ithaca: Southeast
 Iqbal al-Islamiyya or the Iqbal School   newspaper editors and no longer only to   magazine al-Munir.  Asian Program Cornell University, 1995), 140. It
                                                 must be clarified here that al-Munir was the first
 in Singapore. Headed by Uthman   ulamas. Islamic reformism no longer only   magazine published in Indonesia after al-Imam.
 Affandi Raf’at from Egypt and financially   gave rise to new ways of Islamic thinking,   Al-Munir and West Sumatran   In Malaysia, Neratja emerged in 1911 and Tunas
 supported by Raja Ali Haji from the Riau-  but also gave a new face to Southeast   Youths  Melayu in 1913, both by H. Abbas, an ex editor of
                                                 al-Imam. See Roff, Bibliography of Malay…, 7-8.
 Lingga Kingdom, the Iqbal School was   Asian Islam.   24.  Noer, The Modernist Muslim…, 35. For a
 the forerunner of modern Islamic schools   Supported by the modernization   Published from 1911 to 1918, al-Munir   discussion on al-Munir’s founding of, see also
 in Southeast Asia.  To recruit teaching   launched by the British and Dutch   was established a magazine to continue   Hamka (Haji Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah),
 20
 staff, Uthman Affandi Raf’at returned to   22.  Deliar Noer, The Modernist Muslim Movement   Ajahku: Riwajat hidup Dr. H. Abd. Karim Amrullah
                                                 dan perdjuangan kaum agama di Sumatera,
 Egypt in 1907 and this school became   colonial governments, various regions in   in Indonesia 1900-1942, (Kuala Lumpur: Oxford   (Djakarta: Widjaja, 1958); Alfian, Muhammadiyah:
          University Press, 1973), 30. Meanwhile at the
 an effective tool in the dissemination of   the Malay Peninsula and the Netherlands   Malay regions which are now Malaysia and   The Political Behavior of a Muslim Modernist
 Islamic reformism in Southeast Asia. As   Indies emerged into fortresses for the   Singapore, reformism also had a strong impact. In   Organization under Dutch Colonialism,
                                                 (Yogyakarta: UGM Press, 1989), 108; Tamar Djaja,
          the field of publishing, this can be seen from the
 reported by al-Imam, this school taught   growth of Islamic reformism that arrived   rise of magazines and newspapers after al-Imam   Pusaka Indonesia: Riwayat Hidup Orang-orang
 Islamic as well as the secular subjects.    from Singapore. This specifically took   had discontinued its publication. In 1911, Haji   Besar Tanah Air, Djakarta: Bulan Bintang, 1966),
 21
 place in the urban area where modern   Abbas bin Toha, an al-Imam exponent, began to   Vol. II, 700; Syamsuri Ali, “Al-Munir dan Wacana
 20.  Roff, The Origin of Malay…, 66.  infrastructure had been established.   publish the reform magazine Neratja. In Penang,   Pembaharuan Pemikiran Islam 1911-1915”,
 21.  For a discussion of this school see al-Imam,   the reform magazines al-Ikhwan and Saudara   Padang: MA Thesis IAIN Imam Bonjol, 1997, 26.
 vol. 21, no. 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9, September and 7,   not last long, however. Faced with the opposition   were also published. These magazines, like other   25.  Azyumardi Azra, “The Transmission of
 October 1907; 5, January and 4, February 1908.   of the old traditionalists, it was relocated to Riau   magazines and publications continued al-Imam’s   al-Manar’s Reformism to the Malay-Indonesian
 See Hamzah, Al-Imam: Its Role…, 73-9; Laffan,   under the new name Madrasah al-Ahmadiyah, and   reform spirit. See Roff, Bibliography of Malay…,   World: the Cases of al-Imam and al-Munir”, Studia
 Islamic Nationhood…, 150, 255-6. This school did   consisted up to 1909.  11-4; Roff, The Origin of Malay…, 75-87.  Islamika, Vol. 6/3, 1999, 92.


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