Ulama and Radicalism in Contemporary Indonesia: Response of Al Washliyah’s Ulama on Radicalism

Abstract

Al Washliyah is a moderate Islamic organization in Indonesia. Ulama (Islamic scholars) have obtained honorable and strategic positions in Al Washliyah organization. As an elite group in Al Washliyah organization, the ulama have responded to socio-religious problems in Indonesia, including issues of radicalism and terrorism. Their responses to these problems should be understood as they reflect and become one of the foundations in counteracting radicalism and terrorism in Indonesia. This article examines the responses of Al Washliyah’s ulama against radicalism and terrorism. It is mainly written to get an insight into the ulama’s responses towards the four issues indoctrinated by the radical and terrorist groups such as the Islamic State, jihādī, takfirī, and suicide bombers. This research highlights that Al Washliyah ulama give different interpretations of those four doctrines. Al Washliyah ulama prioritize moderation in religion and firmly reject radicalism and terrorism in actions or ideas.Abstrak:Al Jam’iyatul Washliyah merupakan sebuah organisasi Islam moderat di Indonesia. Para ulama sejauh ini mendapatkan kedudukan terhormat dan strategis dalam organisasi ini.. Para ulama sebagai kelompok elit dalam organisasi Al Washliyah memberikan respons terhadap persoalan sosial keagamaan di Indonesia, termasuk masalah radikalisme dan terorisme. Respons mereka terhadap masalah ini perlu diketahui dan menjadi salah satu landasan bagi upaya menangkal paham dan gerakan radikalisme dan terorisme di Indonesia. Artikel ini mengkaji respons para ulama Al Washliyah terhadap radikalisme dan terorisme. Kajian artikel ini difokuskan pada respons mereka terhadap empat isu yang menjadi doktrin kelompok-kelompok radikalis dan teroris yakni negara Islam, jihād, takfir, dan bom bunuh diri. Artikel ini mengajukan temuan bahwa para ulama Al Washliyah yang menjadi informan terpilih memberikan interpretasi yang berbeda mengenai keempat isu tersebut. Studi ini menunjukkan bahwa ulama Al Washliyah mengedepankan moderasi dalam kehidupan beragama dan berbangsa, dan secara tegas mereka menolak paham dan gerakan radikalisme dan terorisme.

The Practice of Radicalism: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…In cluster 5, the dominant keyword is identity, then the relevant articles are those written by Garayev et al, (2019) entitled "A sociolinguistic survey of fourth movement 1919 in Zhejiang: Participants' attitude and linguistic perspective," which discusses about taking a closer look at collision errors, we can easily confirm that traditional Confucian society during the opportunistic economic progress caused by World War I triggered radicalism and at the same time the object of their struggle. Another keyword in cluster 5 that is dominant is social change, so the relevant article is that written by Syahnan et al, (2021) entitled "Ulama and radicalism in contemporary Indonesia: Response of al washliyah's ulama on radicalism" which discusses how ulama respond to socio-religious problems and changes that occur in Indonesia, including issues of radicalism and terrorism, where the scholars give different interpretations of the four doctrines, by prioritizing moderation in religion and refusing it firmly.…”

Al Jam’iyatul Washliyah, Agama Dan Politik

“…Kajian tentang sejarah dan ideologi Al Washliyah sudah banyak dilakukan misalnya oleh Ja'far (2016 & 2019) dan Mhd. Syahnan, et al (2021). Kajian seputar politik Al Washliyah sudah dilakukan secara terbatas oleh Aliman Saragih (2016), Ja'far (2019), Faisal Riza (2021) dan Mardian Idris Harahap (2021).…”

Development of Islamic Religious Education Materials Based on Religious Moderation in Forming Student Character

“…The phenomenon of radicalism and intolerance is now spreading in society and educational institutions. Religious moderation is a balance between understanding and practicing religion, understanding text and context, and being balanced and not excessive (Davids, 2017;Syahnan, Ja'far, & Iqbal, 2021;Widjaja, Bhattacharya, Ma`arif, & Aslan, 2022). This article explores the meaning of religious moderation from the perspective of the Qur'an and Hadith and its implementation in Islamic educational institutions (LPI).…”