Religious Proselytizing Research Articles

RENARRATING THE ISLAMISATION OF THE MALAY-INDONESIAN ARCHIPELAGO IN 13th-19th CENTURIES

This article aims at re-presenting the Islamisation of the Malay-Indonesian archipelago from the 13th to 19th century, focusing on the narrative of intellectualism and activism conducted inter-relatedly during the very act of religious proselytization. The background of this research arises from the need to understand the complexity of Islamisation in the archipelago, on the one hand, and the negligence of such narrative in the historiography of islamization, on the other. Taking this as the basis of narrative, this article will re-explain the major phases in the Islamization of the archipelago by paying attention both to the political variable and, particularly, the intellectual-historical aspects. This paper uses the historical-descriptive method by collecting and analyzing relevant historical materials. The selected data will be re-narrated within the framework of intellectualism and activism in the Islamization process. This research also uses the comparative method to compare the phases of Islamization in various regions of the archipelago, thus providing a more complete picture of the dynamics that occurred in the 13th to 19th centuries. The expected purpose is to go beyond the political-historical perspective that currently dominates the historiography of Islamization and marginalizes the proselytizing aspect which is an intertwining of intellectualism and activism in that process.

Recovering the Dimensions of Dignity in Religious Freedom: Protecting Religious Proselytization in International Human Rights

AbstractThis article addresses the challenge of conceptualizing the practice of religious proselytism in the context of international human rights law and its significance for the law of religious freedom. The author examines the evolving approach taken to religious proselytism within the landscape of human rights law, revealing that important aspects of religious freedom risk being lost given complex positive and negative views on proselytization. The author then explores the concept of human dignity and argues that there are relational and interactive dimensions associated with human dignity that are obscured in the international legal discourse of religious freedom. Recovering these dimensions of dignity will help address religious proselytization in international human rights law and reinvigorate the law of religious freedom.

BERAGAMA (ISLAM) DI TENGAH KEBERAGAMAN MASYARAKAT MELAYU BANGKA DALAM PERSPEKTIF DAKWAH KEAGAMAAN

This article aims to explain how the social system in religious life, especially Islam in Bangka Belitung with the spectrum of diversity of Malay society in the perspective of religious preaching. This paper refers to the social system of the people of Bangka Belitung which consists of various ethnicities and religions. Of course, from the perspective of the religious proselytizing approach, this social system must be accompanied by the potential to realize the values of harmony and peace in the life of society and the state. In the perspective of da'wah and religion, this can be realized through 1) da'i and inclusiveness, 2) soothing da'wah materials, 3) and transformative da'wah. These three components are expected to be a reference or alternative in creating a solid and harmonious Malay community in the Bangka Belitung Islands.

Pendekatan Dakwah Dalam Membangun Mental Masyarakat Kota Surakarta

Substantially, religious proselytizing can be divided into two agents. They are agent of social service and agent of social change. As the agent of social service, religious proselytizing tries to fix the system of human live in Islamic through the process of amar ma’ruf and nahi munkar. Religious proselytizing as the agent of social change is changing situation and condition of moslems from underdevelopment, ignorance, destitution, atheism, tyranny, godlessness, and many more which is to be fixed or diverted toward the progress of wisdom, prosperity, faith, orderliness, and many more. Surakarta City is one of city where has glory and golden history of Islam before the freedom of RI and beginning of freedom. The desire of the future of Surakarta City is to go back at Solo City like the past time, so that the glory of Islam must be built with revitalization the role of religious proselytizing in building Surakarta City. The condition of Surakarta City is very diverse. It needs creativity of delivering the massage of religious proselytizing, so that it can create the value of Islam theory in the society. Some of method and phenomenological in building Surakarta City, namely : Integrative Functional, Dialogue, Cultural Approach, Physiology Approach, Political Approach, Cooperation between the Institutions, and Building Public Opinion.

Role of Sheikh Okutagidi Towards the Spread of Islam in Ilorin Emirate, North-Central Nigeria (1931-2016)

Ilorin is blessed with many Islamic scholars engaged in da'wah activities, earning the town the proverbial title of Ilu Alfa (the seat of erudite Muslim scholars). Islamic scholars face significant challenges in adhering to Islamic principles and religious proselytization. Sheikh Alfanla Okutagidi's da'wah activities in Ilorin were noticeable in Islamic propagation in Ilorin Emirate. The study aims to examine the role of Sheikh Alfanla Okutagidi in spreading Islam in the Ilorin Emirate, Kwara State, North-Central Nigeria. A qualitative methodology was adopted to achieve this objective, which relied on primary and secondary sources, including observation, oral interviews, and literature. The study revealed that he started Islamic propagation using the Qur'an and hadith to pass the message of Islam. He was strictly against western education. To keep Islam in the entire Ilorin Emirate, he waged war against paganists, foodstuff sellers, and alcohol sellers. Therefore, Sheikh Alfanla Okutagidi made significant contributions to the growth and, to a large extent, eradication of paganism in the Ilorin Emirate with fanaticism. Thus, fanaticism and radicality should be omitted from the da'wah activities since Islam has no compulsion, so it will not threaten the community's peace.

Is There ‘No Place in the Work Context’ for Religious Proselytism?

Abstract The proposition that employers are right to prevent absolutely employees from proselytising their religious beliefs at work has been mooted by AG Sharpston, now retired Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union, in her Opinion in Bougnaoui and Association de défense des droits de l’homme (ADDH) v Micropole SA. She argued this on three bases: that proselytism is not core to a person’s religious beliefs (and therefore not a manifestation of religion); that working time is used for the purposes of business rather than proselytism; and because proselytism creates disharmony among the workforce. It is contended in this article that such a proposition is controversial as each of these statements is deserving of challenge. Proselytism has been recognised as a bona fide manifestation of religion by the European Court of Human Rights and not only facilitates a proselytiser’s religious rights but also those of the potential proselyte (to have the opportunity to change religion). Working time is not exclusively spent in the relentless pursuit of business; there is a social dimension and an exchange of ideas would be commonplace. Disharmony, and even harassment, may result from proselytism, but this may be mitigated by moderation (on behalf of the proselytiser) and the judicious use of restriction (by the employer).

Религиозный прозелитизм как ресурс государственной политики: прошлый и актуальный опыт россии и сша

This article seeks to understand the use of religious proselytizing in the Statecraft of the United States and Russia. The different perspectives on this activity is first assessed historically. The experiences that both countries had (or did not have, in the case of the US), provide insights into the disparity of opinion and practice between the two countries today. This historical view reveals how politically important and influential such activity was for Russia. Good relations with religious leaders and their religious movements helped to ensure stability in far flung regions of its territory, and active attempts to convert other people, i.e. proselytizing, was seen as politically aggressive and socially disruptive. The second part of this article looks at the contemporary implications of statecraft and proselytization. One sees a continuity between the imperial, Soviet and contemporary periods regarding proselytism, despite the political diversity of the periods. Domestically, Russia has clamped down on religious organizations with ties to the US and whose practices included active proselytizing. In this way, one can see how it believes religion, and proselytizing in particular, can be politicized or weaponized and used in foreign policy. Beyond its borders, Russia has employed the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in proselytizing or quasi-proselytizing activities to help carry out its political agendas. For the US, religious conversions were traditionally never part of the national or political discourse, and so there is still a tendency to view such activity as innocuous, individual experiences. Meanwhile, Russia continues its crackdown on religions which promote an aggressive proselytizing agenda, and especially US-based ones, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, whose members are often treated as enemies of the state.

SIBLING RIVALRIES

The issues of religious proselytization as well as the construction of house of worship are of main contentious topics inciting tensions between religious adherents, particularly between the minority Christians and the majority Muslims in contemporary Indonesia. This article discusses these two inter-religious problems and poses a question to extent that the competition between Muslim and Christians, both in their missionary activities and the building of new house of worship, inflicting inter-religious relation in contemporary Indonesia. Taken some cases as points of discussion, this article further offers that inclusive dialogue and social justice are solutions to minimize—even to prevent—the worsening tension between Muslim and Christians.

SIBLING RIVALRIES

The issues of religious proselytization as well as the construction of house of worship are of main contentious topics inciting tensions between religious adherents, particularly between the minority Christians and the majority Muslims in contemporary Indonesia. This article discusses these two inter-religious problems and poses a question to extent that the competition between Muslim and Christians, both in their missionary activities and the building of new house of worship, inflicting inter-religious relation in contemporary Indonesia. Taken some cases as points of discussion, this article further offers that inclusive dialogue and social justice are solutions to minimize—even to prevent—the worsening tension between Muslim and Christians.

Case Comment: Do Indigenous Peoples Have a Right to Limit Religious Proselytism Activities in Their Territories?

Abstract In ruling T-1022/01, the Colombian Constitutional Court responded to a claim brought by a member of the United Pentecostal Church of Colombia against the Yanacona Indigenous Council. The claimants alleged the violation of their rights to freedom of conscience, worship, and dissemination of thought based on two facts: (a) the refusal of their petition to carry out a “Spiritual Renewal Day” in the main square of the indigenous reservation of Caquiona, and (b) the interruption of the religious gatherings of the United Pentecostal Church of Colombia, as well as the prohibition of their pastors entering the indigenous reservation territory. The Court found no violation of the rights alleged. The purpose of this comment is to explore the understanding by the Colombian Constitutional Court of the right to cultural identity of indigenous communities, focusing particularly on whether it encompasses the right to be free from religious proselytism.

Religious Proselytism and the Illusion World Peace: The Disservice of World Religions

This work is constructed on the hypothesis that religious proselytism is the tool in the hands of the three major monotheistic religions with which they canvass/campaign for membership recruitment. It identifies and explores different modes which proselytism has taken among the practitioners of the religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and understands proselytism as the source and cause of a world divided along religious lines and which may not be healed if that practice persists. The work adopts the methods of analysis of written data and focus on groups.

Interactional Approach in Improving Students’ Writing Skills as A Strengthening of The Ability of Religious Moderation at State Islamic Institute of Kediri

This article aims at investigating the effect of interactional approach in improving students’ writing skill as a strengthening of the ability of religious moderation at State Islamic Institute of Kediri. By employing a quasi experimental research design, two groups of students participated in this study. The experimental group was taught by using interactional approach, then the control group was taught by using non interactional approach (self-correction). Direct writing test was used to collect the data, and ANCOVA was used to analyze the data. The finding shows that both approaches can improve students’ writing skill. It can be seen from the improvement of students’ writing mean score from pretest to posttest. The experimental group got 19.18 improvement, and the control group got 16.45 improvement. It seems that the experimental group achieved higher improvement. However, based on the result on ANCOVA calculation, the sig.value obtained was 0.418; it was higher than the significant level (0.05). It means that there was not enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. There was no significant difference on writing skill between the both groups. Those approaches affect on improvement of students’ writing skill. The implication is that both approaches can be used to improve students’ writing skill. By having good writing skill, they have more chances to do religious proselytizing (dakwah) through producing or writing religious books or written products in English that can be read by many people in the world, and as the form of religious moderation in Islamic higher education.

Majalah Sabili: Transisi Orde Baru ke Reformasi (1985-2000)

The aimed of this study was to identify the development of Sabili from the New Orde era to Reformation era. This research included in the press history research that used historical research methods with some procedures, namely heuristics, source criticism, interpretation and historiography. The resulted of this study showed that Sabili was part of the Islamic movement pioneered by young Islamic activists in Indonesia. There were differences between Sabili during the new Orde and Reformation era. First, during the new Order era Sabili was present as an illegal magazine as a form of resistance to the New Orde, while during the reform era Sabili became a legal magazine. Second, during the new Orde era, the Sabili distribution system was carried out clandestinely and aimed at religious proselytizing activist groups, while during the Reformation period the distribution was open to the public. Third, during the New Orde era Sabili did not have an office, the name of the editor was disguised and used KTAI as a publisher, while during the reform era Sabili had a permanent office, the name of the editor used the real name and was managed by PT. Bina Media Sabili. Fourth, during the new Orde era, the Sabilis orientation was Islamic religious proselytizing, while during the reformation era Sabili preaching and business. Fifth, during the new order era, Sabili's content focused on Islamic knowledge and news about the Islamic world, while during the reformation era, Sabili's content did not only contain Islamic knowledge and news of the Islamic world but also actual news about the national and Middle East socio-political conditions.

Changes in Brazilian education policy and the rise of right‐wing populism

This article shows the intersections of right‐wing conservative discourse and evangelical religious proselytism in shaping right‐wing populist discourse in Brazil and its implications on the education policy in the last decade. Since re‐democratisation in the 1980s, the policy path sought to guarantee progressive and inclusive public education, which became under threat due to the escalation of right‐wing populist activism. In the last few years, the ‘No Party School Movement’ (NPSM) and the ‘Evangelical Parliamentary Front’ (EPF) established a tactical alliance. Affiliated members have been trying to pass various bills in different states and cities, stating that educators should not rely on ideological, political and partisan views, and should respect the ‘traditional values’ of families. Othering was a fundamental articulating mechanism of right‐wing populist movements and politicians’ actions to forge a discourse that attacks Paulo Freire’s pedagogy, gender ideology and ancestral African religions. Through the analysis of different types of data, this interpretative case study deepens our understanding of the importance of right‐wing discourse in forging influential political alliances influencing education public policy in Brazil. Understanding how right‐wing populist activism creates enemies through othering educators, women, LGBT and black people is essential to analyse its influence on recent policy changes.

Reconceptualising the Elements of Islamic Propagation: Religious Response and Adaptation to New Media

The internet has tremendous effects to social and religious lives, including Islamic propagation (da'wah) activities. This paper aims to examine the fundamental concepts of da'wah in response to the mushrooming of cyber based-da’wah as well as adaptation to new media culture. Using a qualitative research for conceptual design, this study has found that the proliferation of cyber religious proselytizing leads the elements of da'wah have become ever-widening concepts. The concept of da’i, for instance, has experienced the reconceptualisation that not only refers to person who convey Islamic teachings through religious sermon (khutbah), but also denotes to a creative content provider for da’wah purposes in the internet. Additionally, the power of preaching in the new media lies in good, comprehensive, and argumentative messages. Similarly, redefinition of the concepts ma'du, feedback, and other da'wah elements occur as response to digital media culture.

The Literacy Practice and Religious Proselytizing in Nineteenth-Century Indonesia

There weren’t many scholars who studied the history of Indonesian literacy practices, even though the written sources were available abundantly. The existed studies from many scholars less concerned about the relationship between literacy practice and religious proselytizing (da’wa) in Indonesia. Whereas, both of them are closely related in Indonesia literacy practices, especially in Indonesia’s pre-contemporary era. This study aims to emphasize the relation between literacy practices and Islamic da’wa through KH. Ahmad Rifai works. He was a prolific Muslim scholar in the 19th century who wrote many religious books and countered colonialism. This study reviewed Ahmad Rifai books through a new literacy practice perspective. The argument of this study is the literacy practices had a tight relation with Islamic proselytizing in Indonesian history. The literacy practice for da’wa often considers the locality in culture. Therefore, the form of literacy practice that emerges is a form of literacy that considers local languages and writings, which in this case is the Javanese language and the Pegon script. This paper gives a contribution to the discussion between accommodative da’wa and literacy practices.

The Literacy Practice and Religious Proselytizing in Nineteenth-Century Indonesia: A Study on the Kitabs of KH. Ahmad Rifa’i Kalisalak

There weren’t many scholars who studied the history of Indonesian literacy practices, even though the written sources were available abundantly. The existed studies from many scholars less concerned about the relationship between literacy practice and religious proselytizing (da’wa) in Indonesia. Whereas, both of them are closely related in Indonesia literacy practices, especially in Indonesia’s pre-contemporary era. This study aims to emphasize the relation between literacy practices and Islamic da’wa through KH. Ahmad Rifai works. He was a prolific Muslim scholar in the 19th century who wrote many religious books and countered colonialism. This study reviewed Ahmad Rifai books through a new literacy practice perspective. The argument of this study is the literacy practices had a tight relation with Islamic proselytizing in Indonesian history. The literacy practice for da’wa often considers the locality in culture. Therefore, the form of literacy practice that emerges is a form of literacy that considers local languages and writings, which in this case is the Javanese language and the Pegon script. This paper gives a contribution to the discussion between accommodative da’wa and literacy practices.

British parliamentary abolitionists: Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton (1786–1845) and the political and cultural debate on abolitionism in the nineteenth century

ABSTRACT This article highlights the activity of the Anti-Slavery Society and the role of parliament as the centre of British political life, providing a brief insight into petitions for human rights, and the ensuing parliamentary debates. In 1807 the British Parliament made the slave trade illegal, a significant milestone in the anti-slavery movement, but slavery remained an underlying principle of British colonial rule. In 1825, Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton became the head of the anti-slavery party, continuing the struggle in Parliament until the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act freed all enslaved people in the British Empire. Buxton, however, considered the passing of the act to be the first in a series of parliamentary regulations, requiring approval and implementation. Buxton therefore continued the anti-slavery campaign until his death in 1845. In 1838 he published The African Slave Trade and Its Remedy, suggesting that the British government make treaties with rulers in Africa because political reform alone had eliminated neither the slave trade nor slavery itself. Other means had to be pursued, such as trade, commerce, and religious proselytism. Despite the fact that slavery was not eliminated in Buxton’s lifetime, his political career left an indelible mark on the history of the abolition movement.

Sonja Luehrmann/Соня Люрман (1975–2019)

Sonja Luehrmann/Соня Люрман (1975–2019) William G. Rosenberg (bio) Sonja Luehrmann was one of the brightest lights ever to graduate from Michigan’s rigorous joint-degree program in history and anthropology – itself quite a luminous cluster of stars. With native fluency in German, English, and Russian, and near native competency in less exotic languages like French, Bulgarian, Mari, and even Japanese, she had the rare ability to understand diverse cultures through lived experience as well as the celebrated anthropological gaze, and in social contexts where natives like myself were immediately attracted by her cultural and linguistic fluency. Through it all – her upbringing and schooling in Germany, undergraduate work at Berkeley, graduate study in Frankfurt and Ann Arbor, and especially her years of work among the Mari people in the hinterlands of Russia’s Mari El republic – Sonja remained her own person. I vividly remember worrying about her when she wrote during her dissertation research that she intended to take a dip in a frozen lake near Yoshkar-Ola on the Great Feast of Epiphany on January 19, to better bond with local Russian Orthodox Christians, a focus of her research. She responded to my apprehension by gently castigating me – if one can be gently castigated – for well-meaning concern that was detrimental to her scholarship. Sonja was always clear about her priorities. In addition to her husband Ilya Vinkovetsky and her children, who spoke fluently in three languages by the time they entered grade school, one of these priorities was religion. For someone like myself who tends to think of faith as a problematic filter to objectivity, Sonya never wavered in her determination to keep the two in proper balance, nor in her gentle (again) efforts to set me straight on the subject. Indeed, her determination to understand fully religious life in Mari El in all its dimensions was driven by her [End Page 313] appreciation of how important it was to the ways the local faithful navigated the Soviet system, and especially the ways it was institutionally resurrected, so to speak, after the collapse of the USSR. Faith also clearly sustained Sonja through the many tribulations of field research in what most might consider a wilderness, as it clearly did when she experienced the trials of any academic career. In this way, too, she was a wonderful student as well as, with the passage of time, a friend. She accepted criticism thoughtfully; with intelligence and grace, she defended positions that I and others thought might be modified; and she greatly valued her relationships with smarter and less smart student and faculty colleagues alike. (Among her other achievements, she brought the largest cohort of friends to her dissertation defense that I’ve ever seen at Michigan.) Even after she settled into her career at Simon Fraser, her letters always reflected her “centeredness,” a word I am thinking is probably not in the official anthropology lexicon. I first got to know Sonja when she took my seminar in Russian and Soviet history in 2003 (I think) – in any case a long time ago. Sonja wrote a stunning paper titled “Colonial Politarism and Comparative State Power: Post-Soviet Ethnography Goes to Alaska,” one of the few over many years that I’ve saved in my files. I’m not usually at a loss for criticism, but had little to offer in this case, besides a few uninteresting comments, except a strong recommendation that she send it out for publication – a price I told her she had to bear for doing such impressive work. (The essay was soon published in Slavic Review, and was a cornerstone of Sonja’s first book, Alutiiq Villages under Russian and U.S. Rule published by the University of Alaska Press in 2008.) I recovered my critical voice to a degree when she was working on her dissertation. I had some doubts about her argument that the techniques of Soviet antireligious propaganda in Mari El provided fertile methods for post-Soviet religious proselytizing, and raised them with her along the way as well as at her dissertation defense. In typical fashion, Sonja both had confidence in her own analytical judgment and enough respect for my criticism to return to...

MENCERMATI IDEOLOGI FIKIH POLITIK GERAKAN FUNDAMENTALISME IKHWAN AL MUSLIMIN DI MESIR

The paper discusses the ideology of fundamentalism on political fiqh. Their idea of ‘total Islam’ emerges problematic situation as the concept they build has not yet faced theoretical and practical construction. This is in line with the idea they have, historical-philology, a hint of paragidm which trying to have religious comprehension structurally, textually, and literally. Since its establishment in 1981, Ikhwan community has conducted many political activities. All activities are intended to reach the vision and mission of the organization, even, by conducting an extreme way that is executing the leader who does not response and accomodate their belief, syari’at Islam. This situation leads to a point of view that their movement is successful and fail in two different sides. They successfully defend the consistency to build the religious proselytizing activities. On the other hand, they cannot have any support from the leader to accommodate their activities.