Defending the Majesty of Islam: Indonesia’s Front Pembela Islam (1998–2003)

Indonesia's 1998 reformation movement spawned numerous organizations aimed at either establishing an Islamic state or applying Islamic law. The present monograph focuses on one such movement, Front Pembela Islam (FPI). The study presents the biography of Habib Muhammad Rizieq Syihab, one of FPI’s founding fathers and its current head, and discusses the group's creation, activities, and ideology. Finally, it analyzes FPI’s organizational bases, recruitment practices, and training methods, including the use of religious teachings to justify the deliberate destruction of entertainment venues where gambling, prostitution, and drinking occur—activities which are seen as corrupting according to Islamic teaching.

About the Author

JAJANG JAHRONI received an MA in Islamic Studies from Leiden University in 1999 and is currently a lecturer at the Faculty of Literature and Humanities at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University in Jakarta. He also works as a researcher at the Center for the Study of Islam and Society in Jakarta.

ISLAM IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: VIEWS FROM WITHIN series is the result of a research fellowship program offered by the Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN) with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation. Grants are awarded to promising Muslim scholars in Southeast Asia for innovative research on economic, socio-political, and cultural changes taking place in their diverse communities. Written from an insider's perspective, the publications promote a wider understanding of the role of Islam in Southeast Asia.