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All Journal ISLAM NUSANTARA: Journal for the Study of Islamic History and Culture
Arifianto, Alexander R.
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Religion Arts Humanities Education Environmental Science Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Social Sciences Other

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Religious Civil Society Organizations Responses toward Democratic Decline: A Comparison between Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah Arifianto, Alexander R.
ISLAM NUSANTARA:Journal for the Study of Islamic History and Culture Vol. 5 No. 1 (2024): Islam Nusantara Journal for the Study of Islamic History and Culture
Publisher : Faculty of Islam Nusantara University of Nahdlatul Ulama Indonesia (UNUSIA) Jakarta.

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.47776/islamnusantara.v5i1.773

Abstract

What factors lead religious civil society organizations to either consistently cooperate or challenge (semi) authoritarian administrations? How do increased religious competition help to shape their decisions? This article aims to answer these questions by examining the political responses of Indonesia’s two largest Islamic organizations - Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah. Utilizing comparative case studies to closely analyze the two organizations, the article argues that the organization’s differing responses toward the democratic decline under Joko Widodo presidency are determined by how different their ideologies from the newer Islamist groups are and how many of their followers are switching to the Islamists. Given its distinct ideology from the Islamists and large loyal followers’ base, Nahdlatul Ulama aligns itself with the administration in its effort to repress the Islamists. However, facing more pressure from competitors amid a similar ideology and a shrinking followers base, Muhammadiyah resists the administration’s democratic decline and defends other Islamist groups which face state repression.
Religious Civil Society Organizations Responses toward Democratic Decline: A Comparison between Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah Arifianto, Alexander R.
Islam Nusantara: Journal for the Study of Islamic History and Culture Vol. 5 No. 1 (2024): Islam Nusantara: Journal for the Study of Islamic History and Culture
Publisher : Faculty of Islam Nusantara, Nahdlatul Ulama University of Indonesia (Unusia) Jakarta.

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.47776/islamnusantara.v5i1.773

Abstract

This study seeks to explain the factors that lead religiously based civil society organizations to consistently cooperate with, or instead oppose, (semi-)authoritarian regimes. It also examines how the historical accumulation of religious competence can shape an organization’s political choices over time. The study employs a comparative case-study design, offering an in-depth historical analysis of the political responses of Indonesia’s two largest Islamic organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, within the context of democratic backsliding. The findings show that the divergent political strategies of NU and Muhammadiyah are shaped by two primary factors. First is the extent to which each organization’s ideology differs from that of emerging Islamist groups. Second is the degree to which the organizations’ follower bases shift toward these Islamist actors. With an ideological profile more clearly distinct from Islamism and a relatively large and loyal constituency, NU has tended to align with the government, including supporting restrictive measures against Islamist groups. Muhammadiyah, by contrast, has faced stronger competitive pressures due to certain ideological proximities with Islamism and a follower base more vulnerable to erosion. These conditions have encouraged Muhammadiyah to adopt a more critical stance toward democratic backsliding, while also defending Islamist groups subjected to state repression. This article contributes to scholarship on modern Islamic history, civil society, religion and politics, and democracy in Indonesia by demonstrating that intra-religious competence and historically shaped constituency dynamics constitute key variables for explaining patterns of collaboration and resistance among Islamic organizations in relation to the state.
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