Mustafa Kemal and Sukarno: A comparison of view regarding relations between state and religion

• Main Author: Anshori, Ibnu
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-1994
• Subjects: Asian History; Biographies; History; Middle Eastern history; Religious history
• ISBN: 9780315998889; 0315998881

This work is a comparative study of the process of secularization in Turkey and Indonesia, with reference to the thought and policies of Mustafa Kemal and Sukarno. In their rational approach to religion and the concern to modernize their societies the two leaders were guided by a secularist paradigm of the relationship of state and religion that each formulated. The abolition of the sultanate-caliphate system, the end of Islam as the state religion and the replacement of Shari/'a by Western codes demonstrated the impact of modernization and secularization on Turkey. The "polity-dominance secularization" of Mustafa Kemal along with, among other thing, the abolition of religious education, the banning of the mystical orders, and the mandatory use of Turkish in Islamic ritual, made Turkey a completely secular state. In Indonesia, secularization was meant not only to serve the cause of modernization but also has had a special significance for ensuring the religious minority's support of the political system. Sukarno's decision to establish a quasi-secular Pancasila state was guided by a concern for political unity. However, unlike Mustafa Kemal, Sukarno avoided the strategy of overt opposition to religion, in order not to entail unacceptable political risks. Though the Indonesian Islamic parties have frequently opposed Sukarno's secularism, the Islamic ideological orientation was significantly moderated by Sukarno's pragmatic syncretism, as embodied in his manifesto NASAKOM (nationalism, religion and communism). Unlike in Turkey, Islamic parties were recognized, and Islamic courts and the system of religious education were integrated into the structure of state in Indonesia.