Understanding Sunni-Shi’a sectarianism in contemporary Indonesia

ABSTRACT The Sunni-Shi’a sectarian conflicts in Muslim countries have intensified during the last two decades; Indonesia, the largest Muslim-majority country in the world, is no exception to this trend. While sectarian discourses influenced by geopolitical dynamics are catalysed by many scripturalist groups in local sectarian conflicts, the traditional Islam represented by Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) is left out from the scholarly analysis on sectarianism as it has been largely considered representative of tolerant Islam. However, a series of sectarian incidents have been provoked by NU clerics in East Java. This urges us to re-examine the more complex nature of NU’s diversity. Why have intolerant kiai emerged from NU, what motivates them to engage in sectarianism, and who are they? I argue here that sectarian anti-Shi’a sentiments emerged as an attempt to delegitimise NU pluralist leaders and enhance the influence both within and outside the organization. Specifically, I explore the rise of anti-Shi’a NU figures who have developed a particularly strong bond through their commonality as followers of Sayyid Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki (1944–2004), a cleric from Mecca, Saudi Arabia. He was an exceptionally well respected ulama among NU members. Although he proclaimed the importance of tolerance, and refrained from denouncing any one as a non-believer (kafir) including the Shi’a, some of his disciples are increasingly engaging in sectarianism in order to seek influence in Indonesia’s electoral democracy.