19
8
Amien Rais distinguishes two forms of political dakwah, a high form based on Islamic moral
values and a low form which seeks control of the state in order to construct an Islamic society
from a position of power. The critique of the low form appears to be aimed at KISDI. See Amien
Rais, “Melakukan High Politics, Menghindari Low Politics: Tentang Bekal bagi Politisi
Muhammadiyah” in Membangun Politik Adihumung: membumikan Tauhid Sosial, Menegakkan
Amar ma’rul nahi Munkar (1998).
9
Partai Keadilan is now known as Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (PKS).
10
For example, “Is Islamic fundamentalism a serious problem in Indonesia? The short
answer is no. It is very difficult to find many instances of true fundamentalism (in the
political sense), though there are some. It is perhaps more useful to speak of groups that
have fundamentalistic tendencies, and there are a number of these that can be identified.
In aggregate terms they represent a small minority of the ummah, the Islamic community
but they are, nevertheless, reasonably influential. In broad terms two groups can be
identified. The first group is comprised of reactionary Modernists, or ‘former
Modernists’. The second group, which may well prove to be the more dangerous of the
two, consists of political opportunists willing to use religion for the pursuit of political
power” (Greg Barton, “Islam and Civil Society in Indonesia at the Crossroads”).
11
Two years after the quote above, Syafii Maarif said that “if the US and Britain attack other
countries, rational people here will become irrational. I don’t know how much longer I can
control them” (“US Policy Puts Muslim World on Edge” Laksamana.Net, September 19, 2002).
12
A Kompas survey reported that 43% of 877 respondents in eight major cities would vote for a
different party than in 1999. A LP3ES/CESDA survey reported that 51% of 1,236 respondents in
10 major cities believed that the political parties had failed to fight for needed changes (See
Political Brief, Van Zorge Report, March 2002). Also see Azyumardi Azra, “Challenge of
political Islam to Megawati,” Jakarta Post, November 21, 2001.
13
See Tempo December 24-30: 32-43 for a series of articles responding to this poll.
14
Partai Keadilan is now known as Partai Kedilan Sejahtera (Justice and Welfare Party).
15
Nurcholish Madjid’s speech was entitled, “Keharusan Pembaruan Pemikiran Islam dan
Masalah Integrasi Umat” [The Necessity of Renewing Islamic Thought and the Problem of the
Integration of the Islamic Community]. An English translation of the speech can be found in
Charles Kurzman, ed., Liberal Islam: A Sourcebook (Oxford University Press, 1998: 284-9).
16
DDII emphasized that Islamic law is incumbent on anyone who calls himself a Muslim (see
Boland 161) and stressed outward signs of Islamic commitment, such as Islamic dress, separation
of the sexes, Arabic forms of address and the five daily prayers. This steam of dakwah, which as
been described as “scripturalist” by William Liddle, maintains that interpretation of the Qur’an
and Hadits is bidah, or innovation (See Liddle 1996, 266-289). For more background on DDII,
see Hefner, “Civic Pluralism Denied: The New Media and Jihadi violence in Indonesia.”
17
Media Dakwah pointed to the “Jewish lobby” as the power behind US foreign policy and
support of Israel. For example, see “Pergerseran Kekuatan Timur Tengah” [Middle East Power
Shift], Dec. 1993:18, quoted in Liddle 1993:9). See van Bruinessen (2002,7).
18
Nurcholish was said to interpret the message of the Qur’an in a way that secularizes Islam and
drains it of essential meaning. The reformist ideas of Nurcholish were dismissed as being
“outside Islam.” Nurcholish was also accused of associating with Western imperialist forces, the
“Jewish lobby” and news sources—Kompas, a Catholic owned newspaper, and Tempo, the
respected weekly edited by Gunawan Mohamad—that Media Dakwah characterized as opposed
to true Islam (Liddle 1993a/b). Also see the attacks on Nurcholish in Jurnal Ulumul Qur’an, for
example, “Nabi Gagal Menjalankan Missinya? (Menguji pemikiran Nurcholish)” [Will the
Prophet be defeated in his Mission? (Examining the Ideas of Nurcholish)], (Dec. 1992) and the
discussion of Media Dakwah in Liddle 1996.
19
ABIM was founded in 1971 by Anwar Ibrahim and others.
Convention