Indigenizing Islamism in Indonesia: Prosperous Justice Party’s Approaches Towards Traditionalist Muslims

Abstract

ABSTRACT Islamist groups, based on their philosophical and associational genealogy, are considered to be Salafist in outlook and hostile to or, at best, ignorant of traditionalist Muslim teachings and customs. In contrast to this common understanding of Islamists, support for the Prosperous Justice Party in Indonesia’s traditionalist Muslim constituencies has grown. This article investigates the conditions that favour the broad alignment between Islamist and traditionalist Muslims, focusing on the Islamist party’s approaches toward traditionalist Muslim constituencies based on an examination of the party’s internal documents and interviews with key individuals. Particularly in regions where traditionalist Muslim associations predominate yet have weak ties to political parties, the newly emerging Islamist party has a bigger chance to rise. Moreover, in successful cases, Islamist activists have individually built grassroots networks and expanded the voices of traditionalist Muslims. By showing the changes in the social anchoring of Islamists in Indonesia, this article reverses the dichotomy between Islamists and traditionalists and asserts the Islamists’ indigenization.