In Search of Moderation of Islam Againts Extremism: A Promoting “Islam Pribumi” By Gus Dur

<p class="06IsiAbstrak"><span lang="EN-US">Indonesian religious expressions are facing an extraordinary challenge with the emergence of fundamentalist movements affiliated with number of Islamic transnationalist from Middle East, which is rigidly establishing the ideology of "purification" or as so called Islam Kaffah even if to be forced to the all nation. In this Case, Gus Dur presented another alternative religious pattern by promoting the idea of Islam Pribumi or “Islam Pribumi” which mean to respon and againts this scripturalist-fundamentalist movement. Islam Pribumi is intended to provide opportunities for the diversity of interpretations in term of practicing religious life (Islam) in each different region. Thus, Islam is no longer seen as a single, but rather compound. So there is no longer an assumption that Islam in the Middle East is the best representative of Islam. Therefore, this paper attempts to examine Gus Dur's thoughts on Islam Pribumi which is definitly inclusive, tolerant and peaceful Islamic culture, relflecting Islam as rahmatal lil alamin. It is also to offer a model of Islamic Moderation provided a solution in realizing global peace against conflicts between religions and politics that has occurred most recently in a Muslim-majority country like Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Yemen.</span></p>

Ketahanan Moderasi Beragama Mahasiswa di Tengah Melting Pot Gerakan Keagamaan di Surakarta

Besides being famous as a city that has a rich Javanese cultural heritage, in Surakarta, Central Java, there are also various religious-based views and organizations, ranging from those that can be categorized as the moderate groups to the radical ones. The existence of one of the PTKIN (State Islamic Universities), namely UIN Raden Mas Said in Surakarta, certainly makes it a place for various views to flow. This study discusses the influence of religious background on the religious attitudes of UIN Raden Mas Said students. Through qualitative research methods employing surveys, this study concludes that the large variety of religious organizations in Surakarta does not necessarily affect students' religious understandings and attitudes. In contrast to several previous studies which indicated a relationship between student activities and the puritan fundamentalist movement, this study proves that the students still have a moderate, inclusive, tolerant religious understanding, respect for tradition, and are loyal to the state ideology. Amid the potential for exclusivity as an excess of being in a melting pot of various religious views, students have resilience in maintaining an attitude of religious moderation. Selain populer sebagai kota yang memiliki kekayaan warisan budaya Jawa, di Surakarta Jawa Tengah juga terdapat beragam aliran dan organisasi masyarakat berbasis keagamaan, mulai dari yang dapat dikategorikan moderat hingga radikal. Keberadaan salah satu PTKIN (Perguruan Tinggi Keagamaan Islam Negeri), yakni UIN Raden Mas Said di Surakarta, tentu menjadikannya sebagai tempat bermuaranya berbagai aliran. Penelitian ini membahas pengaruh latar belakang keagamaan terhadap sikap beragama mahasiswa UIN Raden Mas Said. Dengan metode penelitian kualitatif melalui survei, penelitian ini menghasilkan kesimpulan bahwa banyaknya ragam aliran keagamaan yang di Surakarta tidak otomatis memengaruhi pemikiran mahasiswa menjadi radikal. Berbeda dengan beberapa penelitian sebelumnya yang mengindikasikan adanya hubungan antara kegiatan mahasiswa dengan gerakan puritan fundamentalis, penelitian ini membuktikan bahwa mahasiswa masih memiliki pemahaman keagamaan yang moderat, inklusif, toleran, menghargai tradisi, dan setia terhadap ideologi negara. Di tengah potensi eksklusifitas sebagai ekses dari keberadaannya di melting pot ragam aliran, mahasiswa memiliki ketahanan dalam menjaga sikap moderasi beragama.

The Hunan Bible Institute (Biola-in-China): A Stronghold of Fundamentalist Bible Training in China, 1916—1952

The Protestant Church in China has been deeply shaped by the fundamentalist movement of the early twentieth century. As happened in America, Bible schools featured very prominently in the movement in China. The Hunan Bible Institute (HBI) was one of the most important Bible schools, and thus constitutes a good case study for this kind of key fundamentalist institution in China. By tracing its historical trajectory from 1916 to 1952, this study argues (1) that HBI embodied the vision and rationale of the fundamentalist theological training and (2) that HBI was not just a school, but also a platform where some of the most influential figures and ministries of the Chinese fundamentalist camp converged. It became a hub of spreading dispensationalism within China, and a powerhouse of the revivals sweeping across the country in those decades. This fact highlights the critical roles and significance the Bible schools held for the fundamentalist movement in China of the early twentieth century. (3) HBI’s identity as ‘Biola-in-China’ demonstrates a deep interrelationship between the fundamentalist camps in China and America. The strong, but troublesome relation between HBI and Biola attests to intensifying tension between the Chinese Church’s independence and foreign missions’ control. By training church leaders and providing a fundamentalist ministry platform, HBI exerted considerable influence on the formation of conservative Protestant Christianity in China.

Persecution of Minorities in Algeria: What Fuels the Maltreatment?

Algeria, the largest country in Africa, has nearly a uniform population. Arab Sunni Muslims comprise fully 99% of the 42 million strong-populace. Why, then, does its government grapple with fears of separatist movements from its own Sunni population? Further, why does it use suppression and persecution to hold down its meager minority populations that includes ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic denizens whose combined numbers total just 1% and who pose no serious threat to the powerful and often highly corrupt government and military force? The answer may lie in the rise of fundamentalist Islam, a movement that strives to make theocracy and Sharia law replace the current democratic government system. This balance of pleasing and thus containing the fundamentalist movement, which has consumed much of the Middle East and North Africa, has made its mark felt in Algeria and could threaten to destabilize one of the continent’s most powerful nations.

Hindutva Past and Present

This essay outlines the beginnings of Hindutva, a political movement aimed at establishing rule by the Hindu majority. It describes the origin myths of Aryan supremacy that Hindutva has developed, alongside the campaign to build a temple on the supposed birthplace of Ram, as well as the re-writing of history. These characteristics suggest that it is a far-right fundamentalist movement, in accordance with the definition of fundamentalism proposed by Feminist Dissent. Finally, it outlines Hindutva’s ‘re-imagining’ of secularism and its violent campaigns against those it labels as ‘outsiders’ to its constructed imaginary of India. Keywords: Hindutva, fundamentalism, secularism

Historical Analysis on Fundamentalism Movement of High School Students in Kediri City East Java

This article aims to reveal the historical roots and patterns of the fundamentalism movement among students in the City of Kediri. This article is based on the field a qualitative case study. Fundamentalism is a movement that is very close to radicalism. However, the spread of fundamentalism was also found in educational institutions. This article concludes that after going through a series of in-depth studies, this article concludes that historically it cannot be found when this fundamentalism movement began to spread in State Senior High School 1 (SMAN) and State Senior High School 2 (SMAN) Kediri. What is found is that there are Islamic study activities that have allegedly been around since the school began operating. Both in SMAN 1 and SMAN 2 Kediri, no definitive clue was given as to when the spread of the religious fundamentalism movement began. The fundamentalist movement patterns in SMAN 1 and SMAN 2 Kediri City have similarities, namely through Islamic study activities. In SMAN 1, Kediri City, there are SKI activities. Meanwhile, at SMAN 2 Kediri, there were a number of activities, such as PETUAH (Saturday Sunday Pesantren) BAO, Mabīt (the night of devotion), and Aqidah. There is also the At-Tholab association (a collection of several schools). Some of these activities are a forum for the spread of Islamic religious fundamentalism, which is claimed to teach Islamic teaching in accordance with the Qur’an and Hadīth.

DAKWAH DAN ISLAM FUNDAMENTALIS

The term fundamentalism was initially used only to refer to Catholics who rejected modernity and maintained the teachings of religious orthodoxy. However, at present, the term is also used for adherents of other religions which have similarities so there are also Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist fundamentalism. Over time, the use of the term fundamentalism raises certain images, such as extremism, fanaticism, or even terrorism in maintaining religious beliefs. The Islamic fundamentalist movement in Indonesia is more influenced by domestic and foreign social-political instability, from the Dutch colonial era until the end of the Suharto government. The era of reform, freedom of opinion and groups, is a moment for fundamentalists to voice their opinions, offer solutions to overcome the multidimensional crisis that occurred in Indonesia. Therefore, the propaganda of wisdom, advice, and dialogue must continue to be established with the fundamental groups of Islam to straighten out some of them have come out of the rules of Amar makruf nahimungkar. Advice and dialogue must continue to be made for them to improve the shortcomings

The Plymouth Brethren

Plymouth Brethren are a larger Christian movement, including a dozen of different denominations. They originate from a 19th-century revival in the British Isles, around John Nelson Darby—regarded by some of the father of the evangelical fundamentalist movement—and others who dreamed to restore the purity of primitive Christianity. The revival eventually extended to Continental Europe, particularly Switzerland and Italy, and later France and Germany, as well as to United States, Canada, and China. While some lived this dream in ecumenical terms, those who would eventually be called Exclusive Brethren came to believe that true Christians should separate themselves from the corruption of existing denominations, and break bread in their assemblies only with those sharing their interpretation of the Bible. In turn, Exclusive Brethren fragmented into several rival denominations. The book, based on both historical research and participant observation of contemporary communities, presents the different branches of the Brethren, but focuses on a case study of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, one of the largest groups of the Exclusive Brethren. It discusses their beliefs, daily life, international school system, and charitable activities, mentioning also the controversies surrounding their practice of strict separation from those who are not part of their community, and the accusations brought against the Brethren by media and some former members within the framework of contemporary controversies about cults.

The First Fundamentalists

This chapter looks at the people who were part of the fundamentalist movement—who they were, what they believed, and what set them apart from other Protestant Christians. The fundamentalist movement was created in the 1920s by Protestants who feared that America's churches had drifted away from the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. They proudly called themselves fundamentalists, and their opponents called them that, too. The chapter then shows that the defining characteristics of global fundamentalism have often been said to include a penchant for reading texts literally, a proclivity for mixing politics and religion, a determination to resist modernity, and a predilection for militancy. As it turns out, none of the supposed characteristics of global fundamentalism can be neatly applied to the fundamentalists of the 1920s and 1930s.

From the Scopes Trial to Darwin on Trial

This chapter examines the transformation of the creationist movement after William Jennings Bryan's death and the Scopes trial. When Bryan died, fundamentalism was thrown into some disarray. However, creationists were also forced to reorganize and rethink his progressive politics and liberal interpretation. During the next few years, several individuals campaigned to become Bryan's successor, from George F. Washburn to Paul Rood and Gerald Winrod. This chapter begins with a discussion of changes in the fundamentalist movement after Scopes, with particular emphasis on the rise of creationism. It then considers the growth of religion, and religiosity in general, during the 1950s and 1960s, highlighted by the emergence of televangelists led by Billy Graham, and the “culture war” of the 1980s and 1990s. It also analyzes the book The Genesis Flood: The Biblical Record and Its Scientific Implications (1961), by Henry Morris and John Whitcomb; the so-called “decade of creation” in the 1970s; and the evolution of “creation-science” into “intelligent design.”