Journal of Contemporary Islam and Muslim Societies
Vol 9, No 1 (2025)

FROM WAHABI PESANTREN TO PROGRESSIVE ISLAM: Socio-Intelectual Legacy of Moeslim Abdurrahman (1948-2012)

Najib, Muhammad Ainun (Universitas Islam Negeri Sayyid Ali Rahmatullah Tulungagung)
Fata, Ahmad Khoirul (UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya (Scopus ID: 57827702400))



Article Info

Publish Date
09 Jul 2025

Abstract

Moeslim Abdurrahman is one of the well-known Indonesian Islamic intellectuals who introduced the idea of transformative Islam—an approach that seeks to position Islam within the context of defending marginalized groups and promoting equitable social change. Moeslim views Islam not only as a religion but also as a tool for social critique and a means of advocating for marginalized communities. Based on Edward W. Said’s concept of  traveling theory, transformative islamic thought represents the culmination of Moeslim’s intellectual journey, shaped by his Wahhabi educational background and his PhD studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States. The idea of transformative Islam has faced various criticisms, with some arguing that it lacks contextual relevance within indonesian Islam. Nevertheless, transformative Islamic thought has firmly established itself within Indonesia’s Islamic discourse. Moreover, Moeslim served as an intellectual mentor for JIMM, which was founded in 2003. His contributions positioned him as one of the key intellectuals striving to revitalize muhammadiyah's intellectualism, which had been experiencing stagnation in the development of Islamic thought. Alongside figures such as Ahmad Syafii Maarif and M. Amin Abdullah, Moeslim played a significant role in this intellectual movement.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

JCIMS

Publisher

Subject

Social Sciences

Description

Journal of Contemporary Islam and Muslim Societies (JCIMS) is a peer reviewed academic journal, established in 2016 as part of the Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Sumatera Utara, Medan, dedicated to the publication of scholarly articles in various branches of contemporary Islam and Muslim societies ...