The History of Islam in Indonesia - The Development of Islam in the Archipelago

KAUMMUSLIM.COM - Instead, Indonesia is a secular democratic country but uses a powerful Islamic impact. Since the beginning of the country's establishment, there has been a lot of political debate regarding the ideological basis of the Indonesian state. A number of orthodox Islamist groups (including a number of political parties) argue that Indonesia should be an Islamic state. 

However, because there are tens of millions of non-Muslim residents - moreover, many residents who adhere to Islam in Indonesia are not Muslims who practice it using very strict (nominal Muslims) -, the establishment of an Islamic state (as well as the application of sharia rules) has always been believed to be a trigger for division & separatism.

In fact, political parties that support the establishment of an Islamic state in Indonesia have never had time to win the dominant voice of the population throughout the history of politics in Indonesia. Even according to the output of elections after Suharto's New Order, conservative Islamic parties seem to have lost support compared to secular parties & therefore it seems unlikely that Indonesia will become an Islamic state in the future. 

However, it is certain that the conservative Islamic genre in Indonesian society seems to have increased its influence on regional politics & national politics since 2017 (this topic is discussed further below).

The process of Islamization in Indonesia (or precisely in the region now known as Indonesia) has been going on for centuries and continues to this day. Islam became an influential force through a series of waves in the course of history (these waves were international trade, the establishment of various influential Islamic sultanates, and social movements) which will be explained further in detail below.

However, it is also valid that the application of Islam to Indonesia at this time has a compound character because each region has its own history determined by the unique and different reasons. From the end of the 19th century to the present, Indonesia - holistically - has a more uniform generic history because the colonizers (&& continued by Indonesian nationalist leaders) established national foundations in their regions. 

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This process of unification has also made Islamic beliefs in Indonesia - in a slow process - increasingly lose their diversity. However, this can be observed as a logical development in the process of Islamization in Indonesia.

In recent years, the media - both national & international - reported on attacks in religious minorities in Indonesia (e.g. Ahmadiyya and Christian) groups. Some radical Muslim mobs such as the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) use violence (or threats of violence) to fight for their idealism; including by fighting other Muslims, for example by attacking muslims who sell culinary during the day during the fasting month (Ramadan). 

It is strongly corroborated that the Indonesian government and the courts in Indonesia have not acted decisively against such radical groups. This tells us that the Government has a weak monopoly on violence. However, it should be emphasized that more predominantly Muslim population in Indonesia strongly supports pluralism &s harmony between religious people.

The Indonesian islands use more predominantly Muslim populations:

• 1. Sumatra
• 2. Javanese
• 3. Borneo (coastal area)
• 4. Sulawesi
• 5. Lombok
• 6. Sumbawa
• 7. North Maluku

The densely populated western region of Indonesia generally has a muslim population that is more grand than using the eastern region of Indonesia. Because trade played a significant role in the process of Islamization in Indonesia, islands closer to using primary trade routes received more islamic impacts.

The western region of Indonesia, which has been part of the global trade route since the early history of the people, has received more Islamic impacts spread through the process of trade, &therefore experienced a process of revival and fall of Islamic sultanates since the 13th century. 

This is especially the case in the area of more or less the Strait of Malacca (which is located between Malaysia and Indonesia) which from the past (until now) is one of the busiest nautical trade routes in the global.

Jumping to the present, Indonesia is experiencing relatively rapid economic growth from the 1970s: the number of middle class population is increasing rapidly & this is indicated by the continuous increase in gross domestic product per capita (meaning that the population is increasingly consuming products and services). 

Moreover, Indonesians - for example, are trending all over the world - are increasingly experiencing the process of urbanization (a process that is closely affiliated using modernization & industrialization).

Given that the Muslim population is equivalent to almost 90% based on the total population of Indonesia, they are determined by these developments (i.e. increased consumption and urbanization). In grand cities (especially on the island of Java which is the most densely populated island in Indonesia) this group of people explains the increasingly consumptive lifestyle. 

This is especially true for the very large number of moderate Muslim groups. They are increasingly applying the latest urban lifestyles, which are supported by electro-sensory and the latest styles of clothing. 

Although islamic fashion enthusiasts are getting higher relatively quickly in Indonesia, the demand for Islamic banking &halal travel is still permanently low (even halal tourism has actually been developed into a tactic to attract foreign Muslim tourists to spend their holidays in Indonesia).

Read also : History of the Development of Islam in Indonesia Country

The Arrival of Islam in Indonesia

Although it is difficult to know exactly the early development of Islam on these islands (due to the lack of news origin), it is relatively obvious that international trade is a very crucial factor. It is most likely that Muslim traders from various countries have existed in the maritime regions of Southeast Asia since the early period of Islam. 

The earliest sources reported that some of the original population had converted to Islam since the early 13th century.

Meanwhile, tombstones marked the existence of a Muslim kingdom in North Sumatra in 1211. Perhaps the local kingdoms adopted this new belief because it could provide certain spiders in trade with foreign traders who were mostly Muslims. It is unclear why the original inhabitants of the Archipelago seem to have only embraced Islamic beliefs centuries after this belief had arrived & became known in the area. 

It was not until the 15th century &later, the Islamic kingdoms and sultanates as a political force were more dominant on these islands, although they would then be defeated by newcomers according to Europe (Portuguese and Dutch) in the 16th century & 17th century.

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Variations of Islam in Indonesia

The arrival of Islam on the islands had varying impacts on local communities depending on the historical and social context of the region in which it came. In some parts according to the Archipelago, cities sprang up as a result of Muslim traders establishing settlements there. 

But in other regions, Islam has never been the dominant religion, probably because it is far away according to crucial trade routes (e.g. the territory of eastern Indonesia which is located far away according to the primary trade route, even lies in a kind of 'economic vacuum'). 

Meanwhile, in areas that have a strong effect according to animist or Hindu-Buddhist cultures, the spread of Islam is blocked by existing cultures (such as in the area of Bali which is dominated by Hindu culture until recently) or Islamic beliefs are mixed with existing belief systems (animism) (examples of which can still be found in Central Java).

Since the publication of Clifford Geertz's (leading) book entitled 'The Religion of Java' (published in 1960), scientists have tended to divide the Javanese Islamic community (the largest Muslim group in Indonesia) in 2 hordes :

• Abangan; they are traditional Muslims which means they still apply the dogmas of traditional Javanese beliefs; who mixes the teachings of Islam with Hindu, Buddhist, & animist beliefs. Members by this group are generally domiciled or come from rural areas.

• Santri; this group is capable of being claimed to be orthodox Muslims. They are generally residing or origin based on urban areas and are more oriented in mosques and the Quran.