Professor Abdul Wahid Hasyim Tells the Background of Kyai's Political Involvement
Main Auditorium, UIN News Online – Lecturer of Indonesian Islamic History at the Faculty of Adab and Humanities (FAH) UIN Jakarta, Abdul Wahid Hasyim, was inaugurated as Professor of Indonesian Islamic History. The inauguration ceremony was held at the Harun Nasution Auditorium, campus I of UIN Jakarta on Wednesday (09/14/2022).
In his inaugural speech, he presented a paper Politik untuk Pemberdayaan Umat: Potret Persentuhan Kiai dengan Politik di Era Reformasi. Abdul highlighted the forms and motives for the involvement of kyai in national politics in the reform era.
Political reform, he said, brought about fundamental changes in the political architecture and government system. This era is marked by the presence of a wide space for the public to speak freely and express themselves, especially in the form of political participation.
In political participation, one of the active social elites is a public figure with a religious background or kyai by establishing a number of political parties. Kyai who founded political parties include KH Abdurrahman Wahid (PKB), KH Muhammad Yusuf Hasyim (PKU), KH Syukron Makmun (PNU), KH Abu Hasan (Suni Party), and KH Abdullah Faqih (PKNU).
In addition to establishing parties, a number of kyai decided to join existing political parties such as KH Alawi Muhammad (PPP), KH As'ad Umar (Golkar), H. Saifullah Yusuf and KH Hasib Wahab (PDIP). “This phenomenon confirms the transformation of the role of kyai who are increasingly involved in the political vortex,” he said.
Political participation itself, he said, enriches the category of kyai into pesantren kyai, tarekat kyai, political kyai, and stage kyai. Meanwhile, based on their involvement in politics, the category of kyai has also developed into political kyai, neutral kyai, and apolitical kyai.
Kyai who are involved in politics, he explained, are motivated by at least three factors, namely religious, sociocultural, and economic. From a religious perspective, political involvement is defined as the caliph's dedication on earth in order to lead the people to achieve a just and prosperous life.
Therefore, Wahid concluded, the involvement of kyai in politics should not be limited. Because their involvement is mainly based on an important mission.
“If the kyai is able to launch an agenda for empowering the people, there is no reason to minimize the involvement of the kyai in politics,” said Wahid.
For information, is a lecturer at the Faculty of Adab and Humanities, UIN Jakarta. He teaches a number of Indonesian Islamic history courses such as Indonesian History, Contemporary Indonesian History, Introduction to Indonesian History, Indonesian Muslim Society, and Islamic Intellectual History and Social Movement.
He is also active in conducting research and publishing his research articles in a number of accredited national journals and international journals. Among them are, Harakatul Jannah Mosque: Minang Identity and Islamic Mission in Diaspora (2020), Rethinking the Role of Kiai Leadership in Modernizing Pesantren in Cianjur West Java (2021), Demak Sultanate: The Fortress of Islamic Greatness in the Middle Ages Java Island (2021).
The man who was born in Babat, East Java, August 17, 1956, completed his undergraduate to doctoral education at UIN Jakarta after previously completing his education at the Gontor Islamic Boarding School, Ponorogo, East Java.
Apart from teaching and conducting research, Wahid has also been trusted to hold a number of important positions. For example, the Dean of the Faculty of Adab and Humanities UIN Jakarta (2010-2014), Deputy Chair of the Coordinator of Kopertais Region 1 DKI Jakarta (2014-2016), Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Religion Unisma Bekasi (1997-2000). Finally, he was trusted to be the Director of the Unisma Bekasi Graduate School (2009-2017). (zm/usa)