Salafi Islamic piety as civic activism: Wahdah Islamiyah and differentiated citizenship in Indonesia

Abstract

Islamic renewal is having a considerable impact on politics and society in Indonesia. This article discusses the way in which Islamic movements shape the nature and interpretation of citizenship by focusing on Wahdah Islamiyah, a Salafi organisation with over 120 branches nationwide. By examining how Wahdah Islamiyah promotes an idea of citizenship amongst followers and the community, it seeks to show how Islamic and national identities can overlap. Wahdah Islamiyah does not see Indonesian nationalism as anathema to adherence to strict Islamic faith; instead they have been actively synthesising Islamic identity with national pride, often using the ‘secular’ terminology of state, citizenship and security to do so. Yet, Wahdah Islamiyah’s interpretation of citizenship differentiates between Muslim and non-Muslim Indonesians. They inevitably aim to foreground the position of Sunni Muslims by calling on the state and civil society to regulate public spaces to free them from non-Muslim elements.