Page 314 - INDONESIAN ISLAMIC CULTURE IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES

Mepsi (abbreviated from intellectual thought which they had to publish luxurious modern books belong to the older generations and Nurcholish Madjid’s works next to those
Madjlis Ekonomi PSII/the turned into the ideological basis for their and important works on contemporary are members of a group of people that by other scholars like Syafii Anwar on
Economic Assembly of activities and the guide in selecting the Islamic thought written by young and supported the Islamic cultural movement new ways of Muslim intellectual thinking
the PSII) was a magazine books they wanted to publish. Here, we international Muslim thinkers in order in the 1970s. and those of Bahtiar Effendi on the
published by Partai will be specifically concerned with three to offer a balance in the ideas on Islam relational patterns of Islam and the state
Sarekat Islam Indonesia. Islamic publishers for they represent (mizan literally means ‘balancing scales’). Mizan’s most important effect in the in Indonesian history.
earlier stages of its development was
—though not totally—Indonesian
Source: Perpustakaan Mizam was presumed to be a Shi’i to publish the work of young Muslim While Mizan continued its progress
Nasional (The National Muslims’ sociological reality. They are publishing house because of its intellectual thinkers from middle class as a published of moderate books
Library of the Republic Mizan, which represents moderate publication of Dialog Sunnah-Syiah society who came to the forefront of on Islam, another publisher came up
of Indonesia). Muslims, Gema Insani Press (GIP) and other works by Shi’i thinkers like Islamic discourses and debates in with a sociological basis in Tarbiyah.
which represents scripturalist and 69 Indonesia, like Nurcholish Madjid, It was a group of Muslims who might
fundamentalist Muslims, and LkiS Ali Shariati and Murtadha Muthahari. Kuntowijoyo, and Amien Rais—people be considered on belonging to the
However, Mizan occupied only a small
(Lembaga Kajian Islam dan Sosial) that space and it was surrounded by an whose fate had been fortunate under the scripturalists and fundamentalists. This
represents the Islamic left tendency and Indonesian climate that generally ignored New Order government. The government publisher was Gema Insani Press (GIP),
which is critical to both doctrines and the urged and supported them to do their founded in Jakarta in 1986 by Umar
social institutions they represent. Shi’a. In fact, most books published by Basharahil. Under the motto “Penerbit
Mizan were books that belong to the doctoral studies abroad. In fact, they
In the early 1980s, Indonesian society Sunni branch of Islam and in the early preferred Western universities to those of Buku Andalan” (Publisher of Reliable
was stunned by the founding of the years of its establishment it published the Middle East. Mizan issued a series of Books), GIP mostly publishes translations
Islamic publisher, Mizan and its two books written by various popular al- publications named ‘Seri Cendekiawan of books written in the Middle East on
best-sellers Dialog Sunnah-Syiah by Ikhwanul Muslimin figures, one of which Muslim’, (‘Muslim Intellectuals Series’), various Islamic themes such as Quranic
A. Syafaruddin al-Musawi and Surat is Surat-Menyurat Maryam Jamilah- which aimed at providing a platform for commentaries, hadith, the history of the
Menyurat Maryam Jamilah-Maududi. Maududi. 70 newly growing ideas. 71 Prophet, Islamic theology, Islamic law
68
From the outset, Mizan, which was and rituals, home and family, and Islamic
72
founded in 1983, stood for something Mizan targets university students as Mizan’s success generated other politics. These book were mainly the
innovative. In fact, Mizan was established its readership although most of them publishers that adhered to similar ways works of Ikhwanul Muslimin members and
have become the enemies of the new of Islamic thinking, but they did not lasted supporters like Sayyid Qutb, Muhammad
68. Both books were written in 1983, when Haidar ways of Islamic thinking about which long. One of the most important was
Bagir founded Mizan. Various observers had the Qutb, and Muhammad al-Ghazali. In
impression that, initially, Mizan more represented Mizan also publishes books including Paramadina, the publishing section of other words, GIP adopted a position at
the development of Shi’i thought in Indonesia. This the works written by Nurcholish Madjid. the Paramadina Foundation. Paramadina the opposite side of liberal Islamic thinking
appeared, for instance, from the fact that 5 years
after it founding, it published mostly works by Shi’a The majority of the readers of Mizan stood under the leadership of Nurcholish and practices and it supports literal and
73
thinkers. From the 13 books it produced until 1988, publications, according to Watson, Madjid and, as might have been puritan Islamic teachings.
3 were written by Murthada Muthahari, and 1 by assumed, Paramadina published most of
Ali Syariati. See Watson, Islamic Books, page 185, 69. Vermonte, “Penerbitan Islam”, 263. 72. Halid and Zubair, “Peranan Penerbit”, 30.
footnote14. 70. Watson, ”Islamic Books”, 184-185. 71. Watson, “Islamic Books”, 185. 73. Watson, “Islamic Books”, 196.

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