From 'mystic synthesis' to 'Jesuit plot

The Society of Jesus and the making of religious policy in Indonesia

Bibliographic Data

ID3642925
AuthorsRémy Madinier (0000-0002-1831-4417, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume57
Issue2
Pages409-434
Publication date2023-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueModern Asian Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0026-749X • E-ISSN: 1469-8099
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0026749x21000731
OpenAlexW4304175679
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited23

Since the 1990s, Indonesia has been confronted with the growing influence of a radical Islamist movement that challenges the state doctrine (Pancasila), which was adopted in 1945, and demands a greater place for Islam, which is the religion of nearly 90 per cent of the population. The hardline groups wish to call into question the Indonesian state's pluralistic and inclusive religious identity, which they see as a conspiracy hatched by the Christian minority to deprive the Muslim majority of its ostensible rights. The Society of Jesus, which has been present in Java since the nineteenth century, is considered by Islamist critics as the main architect of this alleged plot. Furthermore, one of its members, Father Josephus Beek, is presented by Islamist radicals as one of the founders of the New Order (1966-1998), the regime led by General Suharto which was very hostile to political Islam in its early days. This article analyses how the Society of Jesus was able to integrate Catholicism into the Javanese spiritual landscape and explores the subsequent roles played by Jesuit leaders in the genesis and defence of Pancasila. It also sheds light on how Josephus Beek's very real manoeuvres have provided fodder for militant Islamist circles seeking to delegitimate Indonesia's secular status quo

Doctrine · Islam · Islamization · Militant · Mysticism · Political science · Politics · Population · Sociology · State (computer science · Theology · Asian Studies and History · Cultural and Religious Practices in Indonesia · Islamic Studies and Radicalism · Law · Philosophy · Religious studies