Negotiating ideology, claiming religious authority in Indonesia : the case of Madurese Ulama Alliance (AUMA)

Abstract

This study examines the ideological orientation of the Madurese Ulama Alliance (AUMA), its historical emergence, and its development within the religious landscape of Madura. It argues that AUMA combines traditionalism and conservatism by upholding local Islamic traditions, while adopting a strict normative stance in defining the boundaries of Islamic teachings in order to claim religious authority in Madura. Using an ethnographic approach, this study shows that AUMA's ideology in Madura reflects a hybrid traditionalist-conservative orientation. It is firmly rooted in the preservation of local Islamic traditions, while also maintaining a strict normative stance in shaping public morality. AUMA emerged due to ideological differences with BASSRA, particularly in responding to socio-religious issues in Madura. This distinction has served as the foundation for AUMA to establish a distinctive ideological and organizational position within Madura's religious landscape. AUMA spreads its ideology through various channels such as pesantren, religious literature, and social media in a systematic and structured manner. In addition, AUMA maintains its ideology through various efforts, including being responsive to socio-religious issues, strengthening ulama networks, and utilizing local culture as a means of sustaining its ideology. This study also finds that AUMA's ideology is influenced by several factors, religious motivation is the central factor that drives its continuity in Madura. This religious drive aligns with the highly religious character of Madurese society, enabling its acceptance and continuity. However, its ideological impact is ambivalent, as it both strengthens social cohesion and religious identity while also fostering exclusivism and fragmentation within Islamic organization. This study contributes to the understanding of ideological contestation by demonstrating how religious norms are negotiated by religious actors within local contexts in contemporary Indonesia.