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Understanding Islamic populism: Richard Robison and Vedi Hadiz explain
“In Turkey, you’ve had Islamic populism dominating the state. In Egypt, you’ve had Islamic populism dominating civil society. In Indonesia, and this may be controversial to some people, I’d suggest that Islamic populism has failed to dominate either civil society or the state,” a professor of Asian Studies has said.
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Protesters comprising of a number of groups, including the 212 Alumni Brotherhood (PA 212) and the firebrand Islam Defenders Front (FPI), gather near the French Embassy in Central Jakarta on Nov. 2 to condemn French President Emmanuel Macron's recent statement on Islam. (kompas.com/Garry Lotulung)
T
he throng of people who welcomed the return of Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab might be an indicator of the cleric’s popularity, but political researchers have said that this does not necessarily indicate that Islamic populism is strengthening in Indonesia.
Director and professor of Asian Studies at the University of Melbourne Asia Institute Vedi Hadiz said there had yet to exist a political vehicle that allowed Islamic populism to gain a front row seat in Indonesian politics.
He studied Islamic populism in Turkey, Egypt and Indonesia and noted several differences.
“In Turkey, you’ve had Islamic populism dominating the state. In Egypt, you’ve had Islamic populism dominating civil society. In Indonesia, and this may be controversial to some people, I’d suggest that Islamic populism has failed to dominate either civil society or the state,” he said.
One of the reasons for this was that no single party could claim leadership of the ummah (Islamic community) in Indonesia, Vedi said in an online discussion hosted by Airlangga University on Tuesday. In Indonesia, there was no Justice and Development Party (AKP) like in Turkey, nor was there the Islamic Brotherhood (IM) like in Egypt, he added.
The absence of such groups made Indonesia’s Islamic populism fragmented and ineffective, whether under authoritarian or democratic leadership, Vedi said.
