Being Muslim in a Christian Town: Variety, Practices and Renewal

Abstract

This thesis argues that Islam practised in Kupang has a rich diversity based on historical influences that have shaped its traditions and expression. It examines the everyday Islamic practices of Aswaja Muslim communities in Kupang, with respect to the celebrations of Islamic festivals, lifecycles, and Qur’an learning. The study is based on fieldwork conducted in three Muslim enclaves consisting of four kampung: Kampung Solor, Kampung Airmata and Kampung Bonipoi, and Kampung Oesapa. It offers an ethnographic study of various practices of Islam in Kupang that examines the history of these enclaves, their mosques, and their leaders’ efforts to preserve the Aswaja Islamic traditions, how these enclaves deal with pressures for religious change, and their interaction with the Christian majority. This study begins with Muslims’ perspectives on factors that enable their survival in a Christian town. The analysis focuses on the multifaceted nature of Muslim-Christian relationships in Kupang and the growing influence of wider Indonesian sectarian tensions on the city. But the shared history between Muslims and Christians, the community engagement in both religious and non-religious spheres, and intermarriage and friendly attitudes by both communities work to maintain generally peaceful relationships. The emergence of modernist and transnational dakwah (proselytising) organisations adds to the diversity of Islam in Kupang, but at the same time also challenges the Islamic traditions practised by the Aswaja Muslim communities. Muslims in the three enclaves have adapted and adjusted to these changes in various ways. Kampung Solor adopted changes in certain rituals but maintained those considered to be at the heart of their Islamic traditions. On the other hand, Kampung Airmata and Kampung Bonipoi preserved the traditions, while Kampung Oesapa sustained the settler Bugis Islamic traditions. The existing relations between Muslims and Christians are challenged by the notion of a global Muslim community (ummah) advocated by the renewal dakwah. The thesis shows that the challenge of being a Muslim in Kupang has two defining aspects. The first is its minority status in a Christian majority setting, and the suspicions and uncertainties that this entails. The second aspect is that being Muslim is by no means homogenous in cultural and religious orientation and so there are significant internal tensions, disagreements, and differences in the multiple ways that Islam is understood and practised. This thesis argues that being Muslim in a Christian town has as much to do with engaging differences among the Islamic groups as it does in negotiating shared space with the Christians. Show more