Islam and the State in Indonesia by Bahtiar Effendy

Since the unraveling of Western colonialism in the mid-twentieth century, Muslim nations have struggled to reconcile Islamic ideas and political movements with the state. In Indonesia, in particular,  Islam and the state have long been at an impasse. While the ritual dimension of Islam has been allowed to flourish, political Islam has been defeated by various means.
 
President Soeharto’s departure from office in May 1998 brought tremendous and far-reaching impacts to Indonesia’s political landscape. At least 181 new political parties came into being, a sizeable portion of which use Islam as their symbol and ideological basis.
 
Bahtiar Effendy contends that there is no legitimate political reason to place Islam in opposition to the modern political system. Rather, the tension derives from the way Islam is articulated socio-culturally, economically and politically in Indonesia. In the author’s own words: “Political Islam has been constitutionally, physically, electorally, bureaucratically, and symbolically defeated. Thus, a mutual suspicion between Islam and the state occurs in this country.”
 
Islam and the State in Indonesia documents the background of this hostile relationship and analyzes the efforts of a new generation of Muslim political thinkers and activists to overcome it. Professor Effendy, a lecturer at Islamic State University, Jakarta, and the University of Indonesia, probes the nature and effects of this mutual suspicion in a country in which 87 percent of its citizens are Muslims.
 
The author addresses the problem of the Islam-state relationship in Indonesia in light of the fact that Islam  “contrary to stereotypes” is a religion open to many interpretations and expressions by its followers. He also examines the state’s recent moves toward accommodating political Islam.
 
This book is a groundbreaking examination both in its illumination of the past and in its insights into a way out of historic problems. As it explains the relationship between Islam and the state and politics in contemporary Indonesia, Islam and the State in Indonesia will be of particular interest to students, scholars, journalists, government officials and others seeking to understand this complex and divisive arena.
 
Islam and the State in Indonesia, Bahtiar Effendy, Research in International Studies, Ohio University Press 2003, ISBN 0-89680-238-8, paperback, 266 pages, notes, bibliography, index.
 
Available for $26.00 from Amazon Australia (shipping weight 15.4 ounces) or directly from Ohio University Press (www.ohiou.edu/oupress <http://www.ohio.edu/oupress>).
 
Correction
The last issue of Toko Buku reviewed the book The Java Man by Jamie James. The photo of a different book was mistakenly printed in that review. The price of The Java Man is Rp. 125,000 and is for sale at Ary’s Bookstore and Ganesha in Ubud and at Waroeng Bonita, Jalan Petitenget, Seminyak.
 
Bali Advertiser regrets this error.
 
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