Indonesian Traditional Islam and Anti-Colonialism by Faqihuddin Abdul Kodir

“The Peasant’s Revolt of Banten” of Kartodirdjo (1966) showed that traditional Islam in Indonesia had its dynamics socially and politically to pave away a rebellion against colonialism. The Revolt of Banten in 1888 tells us obviously how the dynamics of religious understanding and activities, which mostly took ‘the shape of traditionalism’, had provided socio-cultural elements accelerating the preparation for the revolt against Dutch Government in Banten. The two important elements of the revolt, according to Kartodirdjo (1966: 140 and 172), were the tarekat as the organizational structure of the religious fraternities, and the kyai as the political role of religious leadership. Both are symbols of traditional Islam in Indonesia.
By arguing this, the foundation of grand narrative of historiography of Islam in Indonesia is being shaken. For quite long time ago, probably from early twentieth century until recent days, a grand narrative has been shaped in historiography of Islam in Indonesia that reformism of Islam and pan-Islamism which started in the Middle East influenced significantly the spirit of anti-colonialism among Indonesian Muslims. According to Deliar Noer (1973), purification movement in Arabian Peninsula and religious reform in Egypt were argued to have influencing many ulama in Indonesia in term of purifying Islam from its outsider practices, denouncing any traditions out of the origin of Islam, developing direct interpretation to the Qu’ran and the Hadith, then being aware of their Islamic identity, constructing independent-organized-upward educational institutions, and finally firing spirits of rebellion against Dutch colonialism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Religious traditions in Indonesia, according to this perspective, were subject to be reformed in order to modernize its social institution and to spur and organize its spirits of rebellion against colonialism. Otherwise, it will be less cultivated (Noer, 1973; 301-302).
In general, I would rather argue rather that complexity of socio-political conditions of Muslims’ world in the 19th century under Western colonialism prompted emotional hatred against the infidel conquerors, whether they belonged to traditionalist groups or reformist movement. Many sufis tariqahs which belonged to traditionalist, as shown in the accounts of Rudolph Peters (1979), also rebelled and fired anti colonial movement in many parts of Muslim world. However, religious factors were not obviously single factor that it fired mass rebellion against status quo of local people and Dutch government. Religious movement either against status quo of local people or foreigners, consequently should be seen as a product of the dynamics of political-social process that sustain rebellious attitudes. As in the context of Banten Revolt in 1888, its main factors were social distress caused by high levies policy and imposed by heavy work of farming forced to native cultivators (Lubis, 2003: 100).

Resource:
1. Kartodirdjo, Sartono. 1966. The Peasants Revolt of Banten in 1888; Its Condition, Course, and Sequence. A Case Study of Social Movement in Indonesia. (‘S-Gravenhage: Martnius Nijhoff).
2. Lubis, Nina H. 2003. Banten dalam Pergumulan Sejarah; Sultan, Ulama dan Jawara. (Jakarta: LP3ES).
3. Noer, Deliar (1973), The Modernist Muslim Movement in Indonesia, 1900-1942, Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press.
4. Peters, Rudolph. 1979. Islam and Colonialism; the Doctrine of Jihad in Modern Society. (The Hague: Mouton).