The Style of Sufistic Interpretation: A Philological Study and Content Analysis of the Manuscripts By Three Popular Ulemas in West Kalimantan

This paper aims to explain the content and inclination of the interpretive thoughts of the Sufi scholars in the Province of West Kalimantan. Among the Sufi scholars most popular in West Kalimantan in the 19th century and 20 were Ahmad Khatib al-Sambasi (1802-1879 AD), Muhammad Imran Basuni (1885-1953 AD) and Isma'il Mundu (1870-1957 AD). The works produced by these scholars are still in the form of manuncripts as the objects of study in this paper. This is a library research with philological and historical approaches. There are several stages in philological research including inventory, description of manuscripts, transfer of script and transfer of language. To support those four phases of philological research, the researcher employes content analysis in doing further exploration to the resermanuscripts. Very supprising, specific findings are presented. First, there are fifteen interpretations in the manuscript of Fathu Al-‘Arifin and eight in the Bidayatu Al-Tauhid Fi Ilmi Al-Tauhid. While in Mukhtasaru Al-Mannan Ala Aqidahti Al-Arahman, the contents of the interpretation are not found. Secondly, the patterns of interpretive thoughts used by Ahmad Khatib al-Sambasi and Muhammad Basuni bin Muhammad Imran contained in Fathu Al-‘Arifin and Bidayatu Al-Tauhid Fi Ilmi Al-Tauhid are of sufistic interpretation using the tahlili method. Whereas the thought pattern of Ismail Mundu's interpretation in Mukhtasaru Al-Mannan Ala Aqidahti Al-Arahman cannot be found. It is because the 20-pages manuscript consists of a summary that discusses the science of tawheed and Ismail Mundu did not quote any verses of the Qur'an in the manuscript.

Social Capital and Civic Engagement in Times Of Tension: An Evidence from Interethnic Relation Developed in Stella Maris Credit Union Pontianak, West Kalimantan

This paper begins by questioning the sustainability of civic engagement with the notion of ‘social capital’ as the key concept of Peace and Conflict Studies. The main question is: to what extent does socio-political tension affect forms of civic engagement? This paper examines interethnic relations (Dayak, Malay, Chinese, and Javanese) developed in the Stella Maris Credit Union (SMCU) in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia under the context of ethnic tension. SMCU is a microfinance association where people with various backgrounds (religion, race, and ethnicity) interact in an economic community, sharing benefits and values. In the beginning, SMCU was initiated as an economic program of Stella Maris Catholic Church in North Pontianak. This church did not only serve the church members, but also for all ethnicities and religions through Pontianak. As a site drastically impacted by ethnic conflict in the post-Suharto era, Pontianak recently has been growing as a city of ethnic diversity. However, the recent rise of ethnic tension has contested this growing multiethnic coexistence. It is important to see the strength of civic engagement in responding to issues of conflict in a multiethnic society. This study explores SMCU members and their personal experiences, wondering whether the tension may or may not affect the forms of civic engagement. It argues civic engagement can sustain under the moment of socio-political tension. Developing economy and peace education are the main reasons for interethnic relations among SMCU members. Moreover, although there are treats for the plural society, experiencing diversity in the form of associational and neighborhood relations contributes to social coexistence. This study finds that forms of civic engagement among the members shape expressions and attitudes of resilience in facing social tension.

The Borneo Islamic Heritage and The Significance of Idahan Jawi Manuscript

Borneo Island is the third largest island in the world, rich in natural resources, biodiversity and cultural diversity. The uniqueness of Borneo is that it is home to three countries; Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, each with their own valuable cultural heritage. One of the unique aspects of the Borneo archipelago is the shared wealth of civilizations derived from the dissemination of Islam. Treasures known as the “Borneo Islamic Heritage" are not only valuable as cultural artefacts that need to be preserved, but they can also be elevated and commercialised as regional economic drivers. This paper discusses the Idahan manuscript written in Jawi script as one of the treasures of Islamic intellectual legacy in Borneo. The method of study is based on content analysis which depicts the descriptive history of the discovery of the Idahan Jawi manuscript. This manuscript not only serves as evidence of the early embrace of Islam in Sabah, but also as a reference to matters pertaining to religion and the laws of Islamic jurisprudence. This factor leads the Idahan community be considered as the first native people embracing Islam at the east coast of Sabah. The contribution of this study is to enhance understanding of the development of Islamic heritage in Borneo Island and to inculcate the spirit of solidarity among the people living in the region.

Hamka, Social Criticism and The Practices of Polygamy in Minangkabau

The character and style of a text describes and reflects the cultural structure and nature of the author’s mind. This work attempts to describe social criticism and the interpretation of Hamka—the eminent Indonesian exegete—in the Al-Azhar (a fairly recent encyclopedic Quran commentary) of the verses which are legitimized as the verses of polygamy. This study finds that Hamka’s interpretation of “polygamy verses” is influenced by the social dynamics of his birthplace, Minangkabau. Hamka criticized religious and adat leaders for the polygamy tradition in Minangkabau. Paradigmatically, Hamka contributed a unique tradition in the dynamics of the interpretation of the Quran in Indonesia where interpretation becomes a social critic. This study reaffirmed the statements that the contestation in interpreting texts is a reflection of social and political contestation and not merely theoretical contestation and that each product of text interpretation expresses empirically the socio-political conditions of the interpreters. This work offered the idea that the interpretation of the Quran with a social approach is to voice criticism of the application of the text to be an alternative to continue in contextualizing the Quranic messages.

Muhammadiyah's Criticism Towards Government Policies in The Era of Din Syamsudin’s Leadership

The liberalization policy through Law No. 7 of 2004 concerning Natural Resources and Law No. 22 of 2001 concerning Oil and Gas, elicited a strong reaction from the Muhammadiyah movement. In response to the laws, Muhammadiyah used their role as both a civil society movement and Islamic movement and took the step of constitutional jihad. This article looks at the steps and attitudes of Muhammadiyah's criticism towards government policies under the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudoyono (SBY). The findings showed the constitutional jihad was based on the spirit of the Muhammadiyah indictment and the spirit of progressive Islam Muhammdiyah. It was within this spirit that the Muhammadiyah movement was encouraged to be critical of SBY's policies. This study also explores Muhammadiyah's critical attitude which has had an internal and external impacts on the movement as a whole and Muhammadiyah leaders. Muhammadiyah's critical attitude is a form of action and rational choice. The rational choice being made by Muhammadiyah through observation of the impacts of the application of the two laws. Muhammadiyah and its leaders indicate the rational choice of Muhammadiyah actors based on Muhammadiyah's spirit orientation, and the social conditions of the Indonesians in response to the application of both of these laws.

Why Indonesia Prefers A Mono-Religious Education Model? A Durkhemian Perspective

This work aims to investigate the preference of the Indonesian for a specific type of religious education model, and to provide a theoretical understanding of this preference. In particular, this study aims to answer two research questions: How do Indonesian practice mono-religious education model? How should this practice be understood from Durkheim’s concept of mechanical solidarity? Three models of ethnographical study were conducted to answer the research questions: Analysing the state’s law on education, particularly with regard to religious education, in-depth interviews with school’ managers (Kepala Sekolah) and religious education teachers as well as the students. This study found that Indonesia prefers a mono-religious education model, as shown in the State's laws on education and the practice of religious education in schools. Unlike previous studies that mainly describe the practice of certain model of religious education, this study offers conceptual understanding of the practice of religious education by Durkheim's notions of mechanical solidarity. The mono-religious model is a social fact because it consists of the norms and values that are practised by and commonly found in all members of society. Comparative studies on the practice of religious education in Muslim countries might be needed as this mono-religious education model is a common practice by Muslim societies.

The Myth of Religious “Radicalism”

This work examines an academic exposure on the issues of religious radicalism increasing globally not only in the West but also in the east countries. As a majority Muslim populated country, Indonesia is one of the reluctant examples in facing the problem of religious radicalism. In addition, this research paper examines the term of “radicalism” politically associated with extremism and terrorism. The primary issue is explicitly addressed to religious radicalism in terms of meaning and image. Hence, we perceive that religious radicalism can be understood as mainstream feature on religious behavior including religious actions leading to the steps of violent extremism or terrorism. Religious radicalism today is massively defined as a negative rather than positive connotation. Such glimpse traps us to be “narrow minded” in perceiving the role as well as the holy spirit of religions. Therefore, the critical questions of this research paper include what happens with the framing of religious radicalism today; How is the historical narration of radicalism; and is it a problem when someone being radical to practice and understand religions or beliefs. Lastly, how philosophical meanings of the word radicalism alone response such debate. However, the general terminology of religious radicalism has led significant social, political, and cultural impacts toward religious harmony and religious life particularly in Indonesian context.

Music in The Liturgy of The Catholic Community in Jakarta, Indonesia

This article discusses music in the Catholic liturgy in Jakarta, Indonesia in the postmodern era within the context of the autonomy of the Catholic Church. The Indonesian Catholic Church is an independent and autonomous church where liturgical music is a form of original artistic expression. However, in practice, the majority of Catholics in Indonesia view the liturgical celebration as uninteresting and dull. Conversely, pop music has increasingly influenced liturgical music. This reality is discussed and analyzed specifically in regards to liturgical music that experiences contextual data inference, especially in the specific cultural contexts of the community. The data analysis shows, in perception of Catholics in Jakarta, the role of liturgical music in worship is not homogeneous, but rather depends on the educational background, attention from Pastors of the Parish, cultural factors, and individual past experiences. For the most part, the level of understanding regarding the nature and important position of liturgical music in religious holy celebrations is low. Most consider that all music is the same and can therefore be used in the liturgy. Music is considered only a complement to enhance religious celebrations. In this context, the government and the Indonesian Catholic Church established the Catholic Church Choir Development Institute (LP3K) as a forum for fostering Catholics in Indonesia in the liturgical field and discussing issues related to music. This article confirms that the position of the liturgical music is crucial and has an irreplaceable significance in the liturgy, and the two are inextricably woven to each other.

Spiritual Education Mission in the Mufassirin Perspective

Spiritual crisis is a factor leading to disorientation in today’s modern humans and the decline of morality of the nation. The low level of spirituality is caused by an educational approach that only focuses on the brain and ignores spiritual values. The Qur'an has actually affirmed the mission of spiritual education which should be used as a reference for the current education system. This article employs library research method through a comparison of the way the mufassirin interpret verses about the mission of spiritual education. The results show that the mission of spiritual education carried out by the Prophet Muhammad can be seen for example in Surat Al-Anbiya' verse 107, Surat Saba' verse 28 and Surat Al-Ahzab verse 21, namely rahmatan lil 'alamin (mercy to all creations). The prophet has brought evidence the truth to perfect the akhlậq, as well as to become the followers of uswah hasanah (perfect example) which must be imitated by all humans. Meanwhile, the stages of increasing spirituality in the Surat Luqman Verses 12-19, include: (1) instilling the tauhid values, (2) being filial to parents, (3) understanding the reciprocity of each deed, (4) command to worship, (5) introducing politeness in social life. Elements of spiritual education contained in Surat al-Muzzammil Verses 1-10 include qiyamul lail or night prayer, reciting the Qur’an in a tartil way, getting used to zikr, patience, jihad fi sabilillah or fighting on the path of Allah, and always praying and begging forgiveness from Allah.

The Sasak People of Lombok: Indigenous Communities at The Crossroads of Globalization

This article focuses on changes that have taken place among Lombok’s indigenous communities, including Sasak Bayan, Sasak Sade, and Sasak Ende. This study found that in the context of thick globalization where information technology is the driving force, the indigenous communities are no longer as the objects of the global cultural market. Instead, they are given the freedom to choose and sort out values that they consider good and appropriate with their needs. In addition, they also exercise the freedom of expression. However, the problem lies in the fact that their choices and ways of expressions are quite often violating old loyalties they have agreed. The communities of Sasak Bayan, Sasak Sade and Sasak Ende provide important information on how indigenous communities respond creatively to globalization based on their needs.