Managing Politics and Islam in Indonesia

Chapter 1Islamic Revival and State ControlIndonesia is the world’s largest Muslim country, with 87 per cent of thepopulation adhering to the faith. The country has been widely regarded as hometo a moderate brand of Islam compared to the more assertive political andmilitant Islamic revivals that have taken place in the Middle East. Much of thepopulation of the main island of Java has long adhered to a blend of Javanese-Hindu beliefs combined with Islamic belief and ritual practices. However, for thepast two decades, there has been a shift in the religious landscape, as increasingnumbers of so-called ‘statistical’ or nominal Muslims have sought to deepentheir faith and adhere more closely to the prescriptions of Islam. There has beena steady rise in Muslim consciousness and ritual formalism, especially among theurban middle classes and student population. University campuses have becomefertile ground for an Islamic awakening, with students being recruited into adiverse range of disciplined organisational cells. Some of these cells have takentheir inspiration from fundamentalist thought and organisational models ofradical Islamic movements in the Middle East.In recent years there also has been a notable Islamic political revival and, atthe fringes of society, an increase in Islamic militancy. Between March and May1998, Muslim students played an important role in forging cross-campusnetworks and protest actions against Suharto in his final weeks of office. InNovember of the same year, Muslim militias mobilised in the streets of Jakarta todefend the Habibie government and ‘legitimate’ political authority against prodemocracystudent demonstrators who were marching on parliament. SeveralIslamic political parties were established to contest democratic general electionsin 1999 after President Habibie lifted curbs imposed by President Suharto onpolitical organisation during his thirty-two-year period of authoritarian rule. In adramatic shift in political fortunes, the Muslim cleric, Abdurrahman Wahid, wholed the largest Islamic mass organisation, was elected to the presidency afterMuslim political leaders had been excluded from power for decades. Althoughhe stood for a liberal brand of Muslim nationalism, Muslim leaders belonging tothe ‘Central Axis’ (an informal alignment of Islamic political parties) initiallyviewed the election of Abdurrahman as a significant gain for Islamic politics. Inturn, Abdurrahman’s Muslim supporters mobilised in the streets in defence of hispresidency when parliament, including the Muslim opposition, sought to censure