Islam and the Struggle for Religious Pluralism in Indonesia; A Political Reading of the Religious Thought of Mukti Ali

Ali Munhanif

Munhanif, Ali. 1996. "Islam and the Struggle for Religious Pluralism in Indonesia; A Political Reading of the Religious Thought of Mukti Ali." Studia Islamika, Vol. 3, No. 1. pp. 79-126.

Abstraksi
Problem dialog antar-umat beragama merupakan salah satu wacana penting dalam perkembangan pemikiran keagamaan Indonesia modern. Salah seorang intelektual Muslim terkemuka yang menaru minat besar terhadap wacana pemikiran keagamaan ini adalah Prof. H. A. Mukti Ali, mantan Menteri Agama Republik Indonesia yang pernah menjabat sebagai Rektor IAIN Yogyakarta...

Dengan demikian, pemikiran keagaman Mukti Ali menggoreskan titik penting dalam sejarah agama bangsa Indonesia. Kegigihannya dalam memperjuangkan semangat pluralitas agama-agama, keterbukaannya dalam memahami tradisi agamanya sendiri, Islam, boleh jadi akan menimbulkan praduga yang berlebihan bagi banyak kalangan. Tetapi hal itu tidak akan memperkecil sumbangannya terhadap upaya dalam membangun 'payung' di bawah mana masyarakat beragama Indonesia dapat bertemu dan berkumpul sebagai sebuah bangsa.

Observations on the Scholarly Study of Religions as Pursued in Some Muslim Countries

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• Abstract
• Bibliographic Information
• Author Information

Abstract(back to top)

The article examines the study of religions at scholarly institutions in Muslim countries. As far as Islam and Islamic thought is concerned, both traditional and overly ideological approaches are problematic from a scholarly point of view. With regard to the study of religions other than Islam, interesting initiatives have been taken in several countries. Difficulties on a practical level include a lack of good handbooks in the “Islamic” languages, while books published in the West are mostly too expensive to acquire. Training in the languages of the various religious Scriptures is virtually absent. History of religions or religious studies have rarely been institutionalized. The study of some religions is seriously handicapped by political conflicts. Among the positive developments at present is, first, the increased interest in “religions” among students and the general public. The historical, anthropological and sociological research carried out in several Muslim countries pays attention to the social role of religion. A number of Muslim students enrolled at Western universities take courses in religions. The conclusion contends that the medieval tradition of Muslim studies of other religions could be a source of inspiration for the future. What is still much needed are competent staff, material facilities, a positive climate for intellectual pursuits, technical training in the study of texts, facts and meanings, and mental training for the pursuit of scholarly truth are needed. While perhaps acting as catalysts, Western models should not enjoy absolute authority. The author considers the pursuit of knowledge which is useful both to Muslims and to the scholarly community at large as most important.

Bibliographic Information(back to top)

• Observations on the Scholarly Study of Religions as Pursued in Some Muslim Countries
• Jacques Waardenburg
• Numen
• Vol. 45, No. 3 (1998) (pp. 235-257)
• Page Count: 23
• 
  

Author Information(back to top)

Jacques Waardenburg

Copyright 1998 Koninklijke Brill NV

Building harmony and peace through multiculturalist theology‐based religious education: an alternative for contemporary Indonesia

Authors:

Baidhawy, Zakiyuddin¹ profetika@yahoo.com

Source:

British Journal of Religious Education; Jan2007, Vol. 29 Issue 1, p15-30, 16p, 2 Charts

Document Type:

Article

Subject Terms:

*RELIGIOUS education,
*HARMONY in music,
*PEACE,
*MULTICULTURALISM,
*ETHNIC conflict

Geographic Terms:

INDONESIA

Author-Supplied Keywords:

Harmony,
Islam,
Multiculturalism,
Peace,
Religious education

Abstract:

Indonesia has experienced a paradigm shift during the last decade in the framework of managing societal diversity because of an increase in ethnic and religious conflict. This shift has an impact on education because school curricula must address issues of living together as a nation united despite differences in religion and ethnicity. This is especially true of the religious education curriculum. However, since the New Order era (Soeharto regime, 1966–1998), religious education has been misused by the state to limit freedom of religion and to promote a model that is not sensitive to diversity and differences. It is critical, however, that religious education be rooted in a multicultural perspective supported by theological insight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of British Journal of Religious Education is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Author Affiliations:

¹Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta, Indonesia

ISSN:

01416200

DOI:

10.1080/01416200601037478

Accession Number:

23253109

Database:

Academic Search Alumni Edition

Publisher Logo:

On the Possibility of a Creative and Inspiring Pluralism of Religions

Author: Steenbrink, Karel

Source: Mission Studies, Volume 9, Number 1, 1992 , pp. 156-167(12)

Publisher: BRILL

Abstract:

Pluralism of religions is not a timeless phenomenon. Religion itself has changed and developed in the history of mankind. As shown by Wilfred Cantwell Smith in his book on The Meaning and End of Religion, varieties of religious experiences and pluralism of religions also are restyled and remodeled according to time and place. In this communication I want to elaborate on this theme in a double way. First I want to make some remarks about pluralism of religions from personal experiences in Indonesia and the Netherlands, especially in encounters with Muslims. In the second part I want to draw some conclusions on the topic from a broader historical perspective, viewing pluralism as a universally changing and fluctuating fact. In the first part some general problems of interreligious dialogue are described ending up in a rather pessimistic estimation of the possibilities of this dialogue, with further goals than peaceful coexistence. In the second part I hope to show the inevitability of this dialogue. In my conclusion I will try to delineate a way out of this dilemma with the perspective of a creative and inspiring pluralism.

Articles that cite this article?

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1163/157338392X00162

Publication date: 1992-01-01

Explaining the Cause of Muslim-Christian Conflicts in Indonesia: Tracing the Origins of Kristenisasi and Islamisasi

Authors:

Arifianto, Alexander R.¹ alexander.arifianto@asu.edu

Source:

Islam & Christian-Muslim Relations; Jan2009, Vol. 20 Issue 1, p73-89, 17p

Document Type:

Article

Subject Terms:

*VIOLENCE,
*MUSLIMS,
*CHRISTIANS,
*PREJUDICES,
*RELIGIONS

Geographic Terms:

INDONESIA

Abstract:

Within the last decade, Indonesia has experienced numerous incidents of communal violence between conservative Muslims, who are the religious majority in the country, and the Christian minority. This has been caused by mutual prejudices and suspicions that have gradually developed between the two groups. This article will explain the origins of such sentiments by looking at the history of Muslim-Christian relations in Indonesia. It argues that the origins of tensions between the two religions date from the Dutch colonial period in Indonesia and persisted throughout Indonesia's post-independence history. First, the article will survey the roots of Kristenisasi suspicions among Indonesian Muslims, from the Dutch colonial period until the New Order regime under Suharto. Next, it will examine government policies designed to appease conservative Muslims and restrict the religious freedom of Indonesian Christians. Finally, it will discuss how these policies helped to create the fear of Islamisasi among Indonesian Christians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Islam & Christian-Muslim Relations is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Author Affiliations:

¹Department of Political Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, USA

ISSN:

09596410

DOI:

10.1080/09596410802542144

Accession Number:

35772208

Database:

Academic Search Alumni Edition

Publisher Logo:

religions in dialogue: the construction of an Indonesian minority religion

American Ethnologist

Volume 10, Issue 4, pages 684–696, November 1983

ATKINSON, J. M. (1983), religions in dialogue: the construction of an Indonesian minority religion. American Ethnologist, 10: 684–696. doi: 10.1525/ae.1983.10.4.02a00040

Clifford Geertz (1966) proposes a definition of religion that transcends a conventional distinction between world religions and traditional religions. He regards religions as particular cultural solutions to universal problems of meaning. But problems of meaning are experienced by cultural actors only in the context of social systems. Thus, religions as cultural systems are impressed by the institutional conditions of their construction. This point is demonstrated here by an examination of developing religious consciousness among the Wana of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, in response to national religious policies, [anthropology of religion, primitive or traditional religions, Indonesia, Sulawesi or Celebes, Wana, ethnicity]

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Toward Religious Tolerance Through Reform in Islamic Education: The Case of the State Institute of Islamic Studies of Indonesia

Saeed, Abdullah. 1999. "TOWARDS RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE THROUGH REFORM IN ISLAMIC EDUCATION: THE CASE OF THE STATE INSTITUTE OF ISLAMIC STUDIES OF INDONESIA." Indonesia & the Malay World 27, no. 79: 177.

Authors:

Saeed, Abdullah

Source:

Indonesia & the Malay World; Nov99, Vol. 27 Issue 79, p177, 15p

Document Type:

Article

Subject Terms:

*EDUCATIONAL change,
*RELIGIOUS tolerance,
*ISLAMIC education,
*ISLAM -- Study & teaching

Geographic Terms:

INDONESIA

Abstract:

Discusses the establishment of the State Institute of Islamic Studies of Indonesia (IAIN) as part of the Indonesian government's efforts to achieve religious tolerance through reform in Islamic education. Context within which IAIN functions; Tension between traditionalism and the modern ethos; Achievement of religious tolerance through combination of modern mindset, curriculum, and sound Islamic education.

ISSN:

13639811

Accession Number:

6676479

Database:

Academic Search Alumni Edition

Publisher Logo:

Cited References: