Accommodating Non-Muslim Rights: Legal Arguments and Legal Principles in the Islamic Jurisprudence of the Indonesian Supreme Court in the Post-New Order Era

Abstract

Most Islamic legal literature describes non-Muslims as ‘second-class citizens’. They do not have equal rights to Muslims, particularly under Islamic inheritance law. This article attempts to re-evaluate this general assessment by presenting cases of Islamic inheritance involving non-Muslims in post-New Order Indonesia. Using five decisions of the Indonesian Supreme Court, we argue that whilst the judges’ legal arguments are relatively progressive and inclusive by accommodating non-Muslim rights, their analogical interpretation of the waṣiat wājibah (mandatory will) is still trapped in classical fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) norms that position religious differences and apostasy as an obstacle to inheritance. Although their analogical interpretation has in some cases resulted in equal rights, the protection of non-Muslim rights has not been fully realized. The legal arguments and principles they adopt are made acceptable to the Muslim community because they maintain traditional fiqh in the context of a multicultural Indonesian society. This study has implications for equal rights among Indonesian citizens and the realization of the state’s ideals that uphold the right to freedom of religion.