The Dynamics of the Islamic Renewal Movement in Indonesia: Before and After Independence

Abstract

The Islamic renewal movement in Indonesia before and after independence is an important phenomenon in the socio-religious development of Indonesian Muslims. This period was marked by the emergence of various organizations and ideas that sought to reform religious practices, the education system, and the social life of Muslims amid the dynamics of colonialism, modernization, and the nation-building process. This study aims to comprehensively examine the nature of the Islamic renewal movement in Indonesia, its history, the figures and organizations that played a role, and the values of renewal that were promoted in shaping a Muslim society that was adaptive to the changing times. This study uses a qualitative approach with a literature study method through analysis of various relevant scientific literature. The results of the study show that the pre-independence Islamic renewal movement focused on educational reform, purification of teachings, and strengthening of Islamic identity through organizations such as Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, which represented traditionalist and modernist styles. Meanwhile, in the post-independence period, the dynamics of renewal expanded through the entry of transnational Islamic movements such as Salafi (Wahhabi), Ikhwanul Muslimin, and Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, which brought with them a discourse of purification of faith, ideological da'wah movements, and Islamic political ideas in the context of globalization. The differences in the socio-political contexts of the two periods indicate a shift in the orientation of renewal from socio-religious strengthening to ideological strengthening and Islamic transnationalism in Indonesia. The novelty of this research lies in its comparative analysis of Islamic renewal movements before and after independence, which not only maps the organizations and figures involved but also highlights changes in orientation, the character of the movements, and the ideological transformation of Islamic renewal in the context of Indonesia's national history.