Islamism without commotion: the religious transformation of Tuak Kampong in West Lombok

Abstract

The Islamic revival movement is often considered a threat to other religious groups. Many studies on the issues have presented the dark sides of religion, wherein Islamic movements often turned into political ones leading to religion-based fundamentalism, violence, and terrorism. The current research explicates the process and characteristics of Islamism in a democratic climate by investigating a case of religious transformation in a traditional kampong formerly known for producing tuak in West Lombok. The Islamic movement, or to be precise, purification, is recently quite prevalent in the area. It relates to the early history of Islamization in Lombok, which pitted Islam against Hinduism and other local traditions. Such confluences generated rules and regional Islamic variants that are often considered heretic. Qualitative data for this study was gathered through observations, desk study, and interviews. This research found that the Islamization process observed in the tuak kampong displays unique characteristics different from those that commonly portray Islamic movements. Islamization in West Lombok was carried out without any commotion due to its non-coercive, outward-looking, and rational factors. These attributes are apparent in the three processes of transformation, the first is non-coercive cultural transformation through education and awareness, the second refers to structural change achieved through legal arrangement, and the third is rational transformation through community empowerment programs. Gerakan kebangkitan Islam sering dianggap sebagai ancaman bagi kelompok agama lain. Berbagai kajian tentang isu-isu tersebut telah memaparkan sisi gelap agama, di mana gerakan Islam sering berubah menjadi gerakan politik yang mengarah pada fundamentalisme, kekerasan, dan terorisme berbasis agama. Penelitian ini menjelaskan proses dan karakteristik Islamisme dalam iklim demokrasi dengan menginvestigasi kasus transformasi agama di kampung adat yang dulunya dikenal sebagai penghasil tuak di Lombok Barat. Gerakan Islam, atau tepatnya pemurnian, akhir-akhir ini cukup marak di daerah tersebut. Hal ini berkaitan dengan sejarah awal Islamisasi di Lombok yang mengadu domba Islam dengan Hindu dan tradisi lokal lainnya. Pertemuan-pertemuan tersebut melahirkan aturan-aturan dan varian-varian Islam daerah yang sering dianggap sesat. Data kualitatif untuk penelitian ini dikumpulkan melalui observasi, studi pustaka, dan wawancara. Penelitian ini menemukan bahwa proses Islamisasi yang diamati di kampung tuak menampilkan karakteristik unik yang berbeda dengan gerakan Islam pada umumnya. Islamisasi di Lombok Barat dilakukan tanpa gejolak karena faktor non-koersif, berwawasan ke luar, dan rasional. Atribut tersebut tampak pada tiga proses transformasi, yakni transformasi budaya non-koersif melalui pendidikan dan penyadaran; perubahan struktural yang dicapai melalui penataan hukum, dan transformasi rasional melalui program-program pemberdayaan masyarakat.