#1 Religion & Colonialism- Feb 8, 2010, Roma Ulinnuha,

History of Religions in Indonesia pt. 2 . 1900 to the Present—
Prof. Bernard Adeney-Risakotta & Dr. Sri Margana
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Roma Ulinnuha-ICRS 2009

Reading:
1. Muhammad Hisyam, ‘Caught Between Three Fires: The Javanese Penghulu under the Dutch Colonial Administration 1662-1842, (PhD Disst. Leiden University, 2001)
2. Y.B. Mangunwijaya, “The Indonesia Raya Dream and its impact on the concept of Democracy” in Bourchier & Legge, eds. Democracy in Indonesia: 1950s and 1990s.
3. Jeroen Peeters, Kaum Tuo-Kaum Mudo: Perubahan Relijius di Pelembang 1821-1942, (Jakarta: INIS, 1997)

#1: Religion and Colonialism
It has been interesting to discuss the existence of religion and its encounter with wider entities—such as society, culture and the state. In Indonesia habitus, the religious issues may inter-relate with the previous occupation of Dutch and Japanese reign. First, I am going to underline the evidence of religious relationship which involved in the tension between Kaum Tuo and Mudo. This contributes to the long history of the Islamic mainstream in Indonesia. It is essential as well to note the significance of local wisdom, as presented by YB. Mangunwijaya, support the establishment of democracy in Indonesia. He argues that the Indonesia Raya spirit is important in promoting the democracy in Indonesia. The second point is Muhammad Hisyam’s research on the Javanese Panghulu under the Dutch colonial administration 1882-1942. It seems that the panghulu discourse is tightly connected to the interest of those who wanted authority between the religious leaders and the representation of the ruler in which it fragmented differently in places.
At the center of the Dutch occupation, I classify the trend of studying religious aspect at least formulated in two different motivations. One stream is strengthening the need of political legitimacy of understanding religious societies including Islam for the interest of government. This was done by scholars like Snouck Hurgrounje who deeply involved in studying Islam in order for reportage type of investigation to the colonial order. On the other hand, it is also obvious that there were scholars who contributed significantly in studying religion as a phenomenon in the era. I see the second stance is beneficial in depicting society, religion, and politics at the time.
The keen observation of Jeroen Peeters (1997) reveals religious issues such as the tension between Kaum Tuo and Kaum Mudo in Palembang. The usage of theory of conflict and the theory of the life and the death is helpful to analyze the religious conflict of talqin (the procession to the dead). To my view, this proved the scholarly study done by individual coming from non-Indonesian realm. This also rejects the assumption that the person who studies Islam or other religious entity is always associated with the negative prejudice of research.
I argue that the central issue of the problem was not only the religious case per se, but this signifies the role of adequate references and mode of communication. Some religious argument based on the certain reference that should be respected. Based on the strong patronage of relationship versus the reformer, the vital action is the formula from the religious institution (Dewan Agama) in mediating the tension (Peeters, 1997, p.162-3). The next issue, I think is whether the religious authority can play as a mediator for solving the problem.
While the procession of death becomes a big issue in Palembang, for instance the place to bury, the religious leader to hold the moment, and the way the procession carried out, I would describe the different phenomenon in Java. This underlined the notion that the research—including the research in the field of religion should be succinctly carried out for the vast variety of practices.
In comparison, the funeral in the outskirt of Yogyakarta and mostly in other parts of Java, do not contribute too much problem. The responsibility of the overall ritual is done under the local religious leader—called kaum or modin without any obstacles. The member of the family is assisted by neighbors. This accentuates the notion of gotong-royong (mutual help) or volunteerism.
Likewise, in a wider sense, Y.B. Mangunwijaya underlines this notion as the strong factor in formulating the formation of Indonesian nation. From this point under the teachings of both Dutch and Japanese milieu, the founding father of Indonesia emphasized the notion of ‘cultural and spiritual foundations of the Indonesian man and woman, their perceptions and concepts of person and society, about what Indonesia call freedom, choice, justice and truth..’ ( ___, p. 181).
The next case written in 2001 Hisyam’s research indicates that the position of panghulu (religious leaders) is always pivotal among religious entities. This is normal since any institution wants to develop and declare the interest of their needs. The problem arises when individual or institution represented religious communities only believed in their own account of interest. Hisyam’s finding is obvious that no relationship is everlasting, but the interest of power is manifest. The central position of religious leader is fragile if this correlates to the authority. In this sense, the need to learn from the history is significant to develop religious institution not only accommodating the politics, but also the body will think the reality of intra and inter-religious entity.
The worthy aspect of the theme is the balance role of religious representatives in accommodating the society aspiration. Not even under the reign of colonialism, can religious institution—such as MUI and other religious institution, be critical and sensitive in grasping the religious problem which seems more complicated in our present days projecting the ‘enlightenment’ in the future?