SUMMARY ASSIGNMENT

ISLAM IN INDONESIA
Compiled to fulfill assignments in English courses
Supporting lecturer : Drs. Muhammad Ihsan, M.Ag

Disusun Oleh :
Mohammad Jafar (201010083)

PROGRAM STUDI PENDIDIKAN AGAMA ISLAM

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Summary Task entitled ”Islam in Indonesia. Not forgetting the Compiler to send blessings and

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last days.

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Hopefully this English summary assignment can be useful for reader. And also hopefully

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Wassalamualaikum Warohmatullahi Wabarokatuh.

Palu, 02 Desember 2020

Compiler,
 ISLAM IN INDONESIA

Indonesia is a country that has the largest Muslim population in the whole world. At

present it is estimated that there are 207 million Muslims, most of whom follow Sunni Islam.

This large number implies that around 13% of Muslims worldwide live in Indonesia and also

implies that the majority of the population in Indonesia is Muslim (nearly 90% of Indonesia's

population). However, even though the majority of the population is Muslim, Indonesia is

not an Islamic country based on Islamic laws.

A. The arrival of Islam in Indonesia

While it is difficult to identify the first developments on the islands of Islam (because

of lack of information), it is clear that international commerce is a very important factor.

Muslim merchants from various countries have likely been in the maritime region of southeast

Asia since the early Muslim period. The earliest sources report that some natives had

converted to Islam since the beginning of the 13th century.

Meanwhile, gravestones indicated the presence of a Muslim kingdom in north Sumatra

in 1211. It is possible that local kingdoms adopted this new religion because it would provide

certain advantages in the trade with mostly Muslim foreign traders. It is not clear why the

aboriginal population of nusantara seems to have converted to Islam only centuries after this

religion had arrived and was known in the region. It was only from the 15th century onwards

that Islamic kingdoms and sultanates became the dominant political force in the islands,

although they would then be overreached by European newcomers (Portuguese and Dutch)

in the 16th and 17th centuries.

B. The Islamic Groups in Indonesia

The arrival of Islam in the islands has varying effects on local communities depending

on the historical and social context of the region it comes to. In parts of a archipelago, cities

emerged as a result of Muslim merchants establishing settlements there. But elsewhere, Islam
was never the majority religion, likely because it was away from important trade routes (such

as east Indonesia, which lay away from the main trade route, even in a kind of 'economic

vacuum '). In the meantime, in areas where animism or hindu-buddhist culture strongly

influences, the spread of Islam is blocked by existing cultures (such as in the predominantly

Hindu region of Bali to this day) or Islam, so mixing with existing systems of belief (animism)

(examples of which can still be found in central Java).

Since the publication of the book (eminent) Clifford geertz entitled 'the religion of Java'

(published in 1960), scientists have been inclined to divide the Javanese islamic community

(Indonesia's largest Muslim group) into two groups:

• Abangan; They are traditional muslims, which means they still apply traditional religious

dogma of Java; Mixing islamic teachings with Hinduism, Buddhism, and animism. Members of

this group are generally housed or come from rural areas.

• Santri; The group is virtually orthodox muslims. They generally live in or come from urban

areas and are more oriented toward mosques and the quran.

Geertz also declared that there was a third group, priyayi (traditional nobility), but

since this is a social class and not a religious group, we would not include these prii groups.

The waves of islamization also cause tension and division in the Indonesian islamic

community because not everyone agrees with the arrival of the orthodox islamic movement.

For example, the differences between the moderate (santri) and the traditionalist (abangan)

communities are due to the reactions of the traditionalist communities against the reformation

of the 19th century. The difference is still seen in the two most influential islamic organizations

in Indonesia at the moment. Muhammadiyah, a social organization founded in 1912 in Java,

represented the moderate islamic community that rejected mystical (traditional) Java Islam.

At the moment, this group has about 50 million members. In reaction to the muhammadiyah

establishment, traditional Javanese leaders established nahdlatul clerics (nu) in 1926. Nu

members were still influenced by mystical elements prior to the arrival of Islam. Nu leaders
also have a tendency to be more tolerant of other religions. The number of members today is

over 90 million.

C. The Emergence of Conservative Islamic Influence in Indonesian Politics.

There are concerns about the increasing influence that hardline islamic groups have

on Indonesia's regional politics and national politics. The concern is that these developments

are not good for religious pluralism in Indonesia and are also bad for minority groups, such

as the LGBT community.

In late 2016, in the context of the 2017 governor of Jakarta election, ahok made

blasphemy when he said some Jakarta residents would not vote for ahok because they were

"threatened and deceived" by those who used the Al-Ma'ida 51 verse from the Koran (which

prohibited the Muslim population to be led by non-muslim leaders). After a video (which

manipulated ahok's statement) went viral in the media (social), critics emerged, particularly

from hard-line muslims.

The religious chaos and tensions associated with the 2017 Jakarta governor's elections

may have extended to the presidential and legislative 2019 elections in Indonesia. Besides,

President widodo is considered an ally of ahok. Therefore, hardcore groups also begin to chase

widodo. Additionally, the controversial presidential candidate, prabowo subianto, was reaching

hard lines because cooperation would certainly improve his chances of running for President.

However, Widodo avoids an attack from a hard-line group by choosing the famous

conservative Muslim cleric ma 'ruf amin, as vice presidential candidate in the 2019 presidential

election.

While religious tensions in Indonesia quickly disappeared after amin sat next to widodo

(and they won the presidential election of 2019), the 2019 presidential election could also be

considered a victory for conservative Islam, as there is now a conservative Muslim cleric in a

high national political position ( then it has political influence).