Islam and Politics (Hurly-Burly of Religious Issues in the 2017 Jakarta Gubernatorial Election)

摘要

The rivalry among contesting political forces during the 2017 Gubernatorial Election has shown how religious issues have been used by certain agents to support and against their competitor. The Christian-Chinese governor, Basuki Tjahaya Purnama, who ran for the election was challenged by two Muslim candidates: Anies Rasyid Baswedan and Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono. During the political campaign, huge energy was empowered to influence the direction of politics either online or offline. The scale of rivalry was even beyond Jakarta. This study examines the religious discourse which emerged during the political campaign of the 2017 Jakarta governor election (Pilkada). The different interpretation of religious concepts such as fatwa (religious edict), kafir (Infidel) and munafik (double standard) among a certain group of Muslims have contributed a significant role in influencing voters in the regional election. While Indonesian Islam has been known as moderate, the recent political trend has shown an opposite inclination. The strengthening faction of conservatives and radicals in the political contestation has sparked a speculation among scholars concerning the waning of moderate Islam Nusantara. This study attempts to capture the pattern of religious movement of various agents of Muslim in the post-Suharto era. Since Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono failed to maintain the politics of diversity (kebhinekaan) and anticipate radical movements, the pressure of conservative-Islamist in the 'Aksi Bela Islam' (Defending Islam Action) is a test whether Jokowi's administration capable of overcoming such challenges under the corridor of national laws and democratic principles.