Islam and politics in Indonesia during the 1990s

In: Asian journal of political science: AJPS, Band 3, Heft 1, S. 1-12

Abstract

The change in relationship between Islam and the state in Indonesia has become more transparent since the last decade of the 1980s. The paper attempts to explain the factors which lie behind the change of relationship. It argues that the ability of Islam to be closer to the Suharto government and the military is first of all due to its ability to change its orientation from politics to cultural issues. This new approach is welcomed by the new generation in ABRI in which the majority come from Muslim families. The break between Suharto's government and the Secularist Group consisting of Catholics, Nationalists and Socialists, both in the military and the bureaucracy, is another factor. But it is a mistake to assume that the break was caused by the lessening of ABRI's support for Suharto, who was forced to set up a new alliance with Muslim groups. On the other hand, it is also a mistake to suppose that the Muslime world in Indonesia is now more united as conflicts remain between the pro- and the anti-Suharto groups. (AJPS/DÜI)