Politics of Idenity Are Getting Stronger

Auditorium, UIN News Online – Politics of identity recently mainstreamed among the community. This as seen in the national politics contestation near the governor election in some regions.

“Especially on DKI Jakarta election, politics of identity tends to be more standing out and massive,” said Dr Amich Alhumami, Director of Higher Education, Sciences Technology and Culture National Planning Development (Bappenas) on a discussion series on Islamic and nationalism which organized by UIN Jakarta Student affairs department at Auditorium Harun Nasution, Monday (27/3/2017). The discussion enthemed “Understanding Islamic Movement on Nationalism Framework” was attended by the scholarship awardee.

Amich said in the contestation on DKI election politics, the people’s imagination about the state is specifically manifested. This was signed by at least three salient factors. First, the rise of politics of identity associated with religion and ethnicity (race); second, the emerge of “conservative islam and radical islam” movement; third, the significance of politics of symbolism and hegemony of means.

“There are two spheres in this contestation of means, namely contest of discussion narrative, and the struggle to gain the legitimation itself,” he said.

In snatching the means hegemony, Amich sees the community tends to have “war” on symbols and narrative. Various articles and statements were created to lead public opinion done by groups who are adversary to a specific candidates, then the emerge of jargon such as kafir, bid’ah, heathens, zalim, honest, fair, and corrupt.

In the other hand, Amich also sees orientation shift in the new Islamic movement on the national political contestation. The changes of orientation has show several signs such as the  disjuncture of historical ties with Muslim political figures in the past in addition to the fundamental changes in the configuration and the base of the Islamic movement. The new generation of Muslims who were born in the 1990s, called Amich, are no longer exposed to and interact with the older generation of Islam, which has political ties with the pioneers of the Islamic movement in the past.

"The new generation of Islam now have a view, orientation, and political choice themselves. They seemed no longer had any ties and links with 'Islamic political era' of the past, "he said.

The rise of “conservatism”?

However, Amich also did not deny that the new Islamic movements are actualized through 411 and 212 peaceful actions by a number of Islamic organizations in Jakarta as a phenomenal event in the social and political history of Muslims in Indonesia today. According to him, the mobilization of Muslims and Muslim political forces in this action is fairly powerful, beyond the imagination of the Islamic movement activists and social scientists everywhere. These events besides very fantastic and amazing, also very thrilling.

In fact, according to Amich, there is no precedent in history (social and political) of modern Indonesia, so there is no single explanation above alarmed by it. And in fact, in the event that there are many elements of Muslims from all walks of social and economic class, cross-flow and schools, a variety of organizational affiliation, even bureaucrats and politicians across party lines, who are involved in the action.

Amich said, referring to some earlier events in the development of contemporary Islam in Indonesia appears to have been a resurgence and strengthening of Islam "conservatism". It was marked with the shifting face of Islam from Islam were friendly (a smiling face), moderate and progressive to conservative Islam. The emergence of the conservative groups least affected by the shift in the political situation or government policy, both in the New Order era and the Reformation.

“But in the middle of the shifting of the map, a group of 'moderate' Islam still significantly vocal and fight for Islamic moderation through a number of institutions such as Maarif Istitute, the Wahid Institute, and UIN / IAIN,” said the former HMI activist. (usa)