3. Modernization and Secularization.
While many Muslims might share Madjid's conclusion that modemization is a
universal theory in its essential meaning, that is rationalization in its sociological sense, few
appear to support his idea that modemization in its universal meaning must also include
secularization. In fact, his promotion to adopt such concepts has tumed out to be a
controversial issue, one which has created a long and hot debate among Muslims in
Indonesia and bitter reactions fkorn the '~karna".'~~
Regardless of their preferences for connotations and their ideological positions, most
scholars, in looking at the phenomena of luodtrnization in the West, have not doubted the
essential truth of the thesis that secularization is an integral part and an automatic organ of
the modemization process. Weber, Harvey Cox, Wilson, and BelIah, for example, have
corroborated the existence of a strong association between the two+'0' Peter L. Berger, in the
light of his criticism of modernity, also contends that "modernization has brought with it a
dilemma of secularization that is a massive threat to the plausibility of religious belief and
experience."lo2 Also, Huston Smith suggests that modernity is equivalent to secularity which
IrnA mong them, HM.R asyidi was the most outstanding opponent in that he wrote two special
books countering Madjid's idea of secularization. See his Koreksi terhadap Drs. Nurcholish Modjid
tentang Seku1urisosi (Jakarta: BuIan Bintang, 1972) and Suatu Koreksi Lugi Bagi Drs. Nurcholish
Madjid (Jakarta: DD& 1973).
'O' See Bryan Turner, Weber and Islam- A Critical Snufy (London:: Routledge & Kegan Paul,
1974); Cox, The Secular City: Secularization and Urbanization in the Theological Perspective (New
York: Macmillan, 1990), 25th anniversary edition; Wilson, "Secularization," pp. 9-20; and Bellah,
L'ReligiousA spects ofModernization in Turkey and Japan," in Amen'cm Jouml ofSociology,v ol.
64 (1958), pp. 1-5.
IrnBe rger, Facing up to Modmiry: Excursions in Society, Politics, and Religion (New York:
Basic Books, Inc.,1977), p. 78.
"Fathimah, Chapter ll, " 81
does not appear as an epiphenomenon only, but as a phenomenon or reality.'" Similarly,
Lerner asserts that the advance of rationalism in modernization meant an increase in
secularism.'" Still, William M. Wenworth, Donald Eugene Smith and Daniel Crecelius, in
their analysis of religion and modernization, insist that secularization has played an important
and universal role in the development of modem polities.'" Among Muslim intellectuals, al-
Bahi and al-Attas have also related modernization to sec~larization.T'~h~e same idea is also
found in the thought of Indonesian Muslim intellectuals such as Hamka (1908-198 I), & M.
Rasyidi (b. 1915), A.M. Saefuddin (b. 1940), Koentowijoyo (1941), Dawam Rahardjo
(1942), Ahmad Wahib (1942-1973), Amien Rais (h. 1944, and otherdm
Like these thinkers, Madjid is also an advocate of the role of secularization in
society's process of modernization. He maintains that secularity is an inherent ingredient of
modernity, a prerequisite for significant social change, and a powerful global force in the
modem world whose reality cannot be challenged. However, unlike most secular thinkers,
lo' Hus ton Smith, "Can Modernity Accommodate Transcendence?," in Modernity and Religion,
p. 158.
'" Lemer, The Passing of Trditiona1 Sociery, p. 45.
See William M. Wentworth, "A Dialectical Conception of Religion and Religious
Movements in Modem Society," in Ieftey K. Hadden and Anson Shupe, eds., Seculariurtion and
FUItCiClmentuiism Reconsidered, a serial publication of Religion and the Political Order, Volume III
(New York: Paragon House, 1989), pp. 47; Smith, Religion, Politics, and Social Change, p. 3; and
Cncelms, "The Course of Secularization in Modem Egypt." in Smith, ed.. Religion and Political
Modemirotion (New Haven: Conn.: Yale University Press, 1974), pp. 67,91 and 93-94.
losA I-Bah& Al-Fikr al-Islih-, p. 194 and aI-Attas, i s lh, pp. 16-17.
'07 See Rasyidi, Koreksi terhadizp Drs. Nurcholish; Saefuddin, Desekularis~piP emikiran,
tczndasan Islamisosi (Bandung Mizan, 1987); Rais, "Introdu~tion'~in Smith, Agam don
Modernisasi Politik SW Kajian Annlisis (Jakiuta: Rajawati, 1989, trans. by Machnun Husein
from the author Religion and Political Modrktztion, p. x; Koentowijoyo. Paradigma Islam
(Bandug Mizan, 1991); Rahardjo. "Ideology Ditmgok KembaIi," in Prisrnu, no. 7 (1985). pp. 2;
and Wahi'b. Pergofakan P emikiran Islam (Jakarta: LP3ES, 1982).
"Fathimah, Chapter 11, " 82
Madjid takes his own approach in which he attemps to go beyond the traditional definition
of secularization. As he declares, secularization constitutes a logical implication of the
rationalization process in that it implies the recognition of rational and scientific authorities
in establishing and maintaining the prosperity of human life in this world.'o8 Consequently,
es his notion of rationalization has grown, his idea of secularization has consistently followed
the same logical analysis to the point where it can be subsumed under the Weberian
approach.log
However, while most scholars agree on the ground that the character of modernity
is epitomized by the growing process of secularization, others neveahcless disagree and
consider this conclusion to be invalid. By looking at the contemporary religious phenomena
of the modem world, many thinkers, particularly those with a tendency to a positivist
philosophy of science (in which Karl Popper's theory of falsification serves as the principle
ba~is),"c~a ll for a reconsideration of the validity of the extent of secularization. They argue
that the secularization thesis seems no longer adequate or is simply wrong since they observe
the anomalous appearance of religiosity in the modem and secular world, that is the
emergence of new religious movements. To them, this highlights very clearly how the
, modem world is not in a process of full spiritual decline as the secular theorists advocate. On
Madjid. Islam, Kenrodernan &rt Keidonesian, p. 218.
10s By this, it is meant that Mdjid's usage of secularization theory often refers to scholars such
as Weber, Patsons, Cox, Bellah, Wilson, etc.
Popper's theory of falsification, which is also called a theory of trial and error or a theory
of conjectures and rehtations, states that "scientific theories werenot the digest of observations, but
that they were inventions-conjectuns boldly put forward for trial, to be eliminated if they clashed
with observation^.'^ See his book Conjecturesand Refirtatrbms (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul,
1963). p. 46.
"Fathimah, Chapter 11, ," 83
the contrary, it shows how religion is in fact enjoying a continued process of regaining
vitality."' John Obert VoU and Iavaid Saeed can be said to have conceivably been inspired
by this line of thought. They insinuate that the Islamic resurgence apparent throughout the
Muslim world in the last few decades shows clearly that there can be no such postulate of a
necessary alliance between modernization and ~ecularization.'~' Mumtaz Ahmad moreover
believes that modernization, as shown in Iran and other Muslim countries, does not
necessarily imply ~ecularization.''~ In both cases, they observe that the modern world has
in fact experienced an increasing religious consciousness as evidenced by the emergence of
a number of religious movements and a new spirit of Islamic revivalism, fimdamentalisrn and
reformism. Moreover, the emergence of such a religious awakening, in their view, is indeed
stimulated by the confrontation with the secularizing forces of modem development.
Nevertheless, the disagreements between scholars are not restricted to the association
of modernity with secularity. They also disagree on definitions given to secularity and to the
values to which it is attached. Indeed, in most cases, their differences over the former issue
have logical implications for their divergence over the latter. Most scholars who deny the
validity of the secularization theory often define it in a negative sense when compared to
religious values. For example, they understand secularization to be a process of losing faith
[I1 Ia the Western scholanhip of social sciences of religion. such a stance is represented by the
so-called '*postsecularization"t heorists such as R Stephen Warner and Frank Lecher. See David
Yamane, "Secularization on Trial: In Defense of a Neosecularization Paradigm," in Journol for the
Scientific Study of Religion, vol. 36, no. 1 (1997). p. 112. For mom accounts on this, see Hammond,
ed., The Sacred in a Secular Age.
'12 Voll, Isium: Continuity and Change in the Modem World (Syracuse, New York: Syracuse
University Press. 1994), 2nd edition, p. 3; and Javaid Saeed, Islam and Mcxkrnization (London:
Praeger, 1994). p. 32.
'I3 Mumtaz Ahmad, ''Introduction." in idem, ed., State, Politics, a d Islorn (hdianapolis:
American Trust Publications, 1986), p. 30.
"Fathimah, Chapter ll. " 84
in transcendence and in a nality that encompasses but surpasses our daiIy affairs,''* a
process of expansion of a polity to perform the regulatory functions that were previously
performed by religion or a separation of a polity fiom religious ideology and ecclesiastical
stnxctures," and above all a process in which religion is at the point of disappearing fiom
or losing its significance and function in human life.'16
Therefore, as far as secularization is understood with such connotations, Voll, Saeed
and thinkers taking the positivist approach, to use Yamane's term, may be correct in
concluding that modernization does not reflect the process of secularization since in modem
development, religion is not in the process of declining or disappearing; rather it is in the
process of taking on new guises, such as the emergence of a variety of fundamentalist
movements.'" However, the Weberian theory of secularization does not apply to such
connotations. Although it suggests the association of modernization and the secularization
process, for these theorists, the secularization paradigm depends on the assumption that
religion will never completely disappear; in fact its major theorists have discussed the decline
of religion only in the sense of "transformation" of religion in the modem world, which has
in fact positive implications for re1igion.l" Transformation here implies the persistence of
important elements of religion, rather than their extinction, and tends to mean that religion
' I 4 See Huston Smith, "Can Modernity Accommodate Transcendence?," p. 158.
'[' See Donald Eugene Smith, Religion and Polilicai Development (Boston: Little Brown,
1970). p. 85 and Saeed, Islam and Modeniurrion, p. 48.
Lerner, Tho Passing of Traditional Society, p .45.
Yamane. "Secularization on Trial," p. I 13.
See Cox, ntc Secular City, p. xxv; idem. Religion in the Secular City: Toward a Postmodem
Theology (New York: Simon and Schuster. 1984), p. 12; Wfison, "Secularization," p. 9; Olivier
Tschannen. 'The Secularization Paradigm: A Systematization," in Journal for the Scientijic Study
of Religion, no. 30 (1991) p. 402; and Yamane, bcSecularizationo n Triar p. 110.
"Fathimah, Chapter 11," 85
develops more along the lines of its true nature. This transformation itself is indeed
inevitable and is a historical necessity. It would be impossible for any nation or society to
avoid it. As Bellah writes in one of his early works:
It seems worthwhile to stress that the process of secularization, which is part
of what the transition from prescriptive to principial society is, does not mean
that religion disappears. The function of religion in a principial society is
Merent from that in a prescriptive society, but it is not necessarily less
important. Moreover, in the very process of transition religion may appear in
many new guises. Perhaps what makes the situation so unclear is its very
fluidity.'"
Following this perspective, Madjid argues that secularization has, therefore, an
alternative meaning, ustially referred to as its sociological connotation. It is regarded as one
form of the liberalization process that affects corrupted traditional and religious values. It
refers to a process of liberating society from believing in and operating on the basis of myths,
not a process of erasing its religious orientation.1z0I n fact, as Madjid asserts, this liberating
process may be motivated or be the result of a logical continuation of the very basis of
religious orientation. in particular that of the principle of monotheism. This practice parallels
that which the Prophet Muhammad introduced to the Meccan Arabs; it was a "radical
devaluation." to use BelIah's term, of the jlihiZFpolytheistic institutions and social structures
'I9 Bellah characterizes "prescriptive" society as basing its nonnative system on the integration
between religion and ideology in that religious system regulates economic, political, and social Life
in great detail, while "principial" society bases its value system on the differentiation between the
levels of religion and social ideology in which religious values formuIate only the basic principles
of social behavior and in that greater flexibility at both levels can be established. See his "Religious
Aspects of Modernization," p. 1-5. See also Howard Becker, 'gCumnt SacredSecular Theory and
Xts Development," in Howard Becker and Alvin Boskoff, eds., Modem SocioIogical Theory in
Continuity and Change (New York Dryden Ress, 1957) and Mehden, Religion and Modernization,
pp. 10-1 1.
'20 Madjid, Islam, Kemodeman dpn Keindonesiaan, p. 258. See also Pasons, et al., Theories of
Society (New York Free Press, I96 1).
"Fathimah, Chapter 11." 86
towards the establishment of a belief in one God?' Furthermore, Madjid goes on to say that
what he Elslly means by secularization is desacralization and the liberation of a world that has
been too much sacralized by Muslims. This is recommended by the fact that according to
Islam, man has the capabiliv to involve himself in the making of history and it is in this
context that the concept of modernization in relation to Muslim societies has been brought
into being, in that it constitutes an effort to encourage Muslim consciousness about the need
to participate in the making of the modern world. It is dso in this context that the concept
of secularization has been defined as temporalizing values which are indeed temporal, but
which Muslims have a tendency to regard as celestial and spiritual. It has also been depicted
as something more inclusive, involving the "desacralization" of everything other than that
which is truly sacred and tran~endent.S'~u ch secularization in this sense is extremely urgent
since Muslims continue to ident@ religion with culture by placing too much religious
significance in things that actually have nothing to do with the religion itself. This can be
seen for instance in the phenomenon of cultism in which they sacralize certain religious
figures and their ideas. Often they even sacralize non-living creatures by giving them a
spiritual significance that they cannot posses^.'^
However, what is more significant to note on this case, is that Madjid's call for
secularization should be understood in terms of the historical context of Indonesian political
"' bid., pp. 258-259; Rahardjo, ''Islam dan Modemisasi:' p. 27 and Bellah, Beyond Beiicf, p.
151.
" Ibid.. pp. 257-258.
Ibid., pp. 208.209, and 259; and idem, Ishm, Dokrin ckur Perahban, p. XI. See also Am,
"Guarding the Faith of the Ummah: Religio-lnteIIectual Journey of M o h d Rasjidi." in Studia
Islamika, vol. 1, no. 2 (1994). p. 112
"Fathimah, Chapter 14 " 87
and social development in the early New Order period. Realizing that the re1ationsh.i~
throughout this period between Islam, largely in the form of Islamic political parties, and the
State has been one of endless frustration and disappointment, Madjid concludes that it would
be useless and time-consuming to insist on such a political and ideological orientation,
particularly in view of the fact that like the Old Order, the government of the New Order
appanntly followed the colonialist strategy of maintaining the status quo in order to establish
its political stability.'" Therefore, in his capacity as president of the H.M.I., Madjid urged
Muslims to undertake instead a strategic and comparative approach like that of the
government in order for them to be able to participate actively in development programs.=
This could be done, he thought, by insisting that Muslim leaders concentrate on the cultural
and spiritual, rather than the political development of Islam, since the latter often falls into
militant activities that are highly idealistic. A more practical solution was clearly needed. It
was in this context that Madjid promoted the famous phrase, "Islam Yes. Partai Islam,
No!'" Such a concept follows the logical analysis of the neo-secularization theory; that is
desacralizing political activities of Muslim parties and removing their religious significance.
As recorded in the history of Indonesian independence, it was Islam that the Dutch colonial
found as their pivotal challenge. Knowing the fact that the majority of Indonesians are Muslims.
though at that time mostly in abangan or priyuyc' sense, such challenge was remarkably threatening
that the Dutch had to change their political strategy. In the light of their "ethical politics," Hurgronje
employed a diffennt approach towards Muslims by creating such an impression that as colonials
they also had a positive side. In so doing, he adopted a view that Muslims shodd be given freedom
to perform their religious duties as far as the cultural and social aspects of religion are concerned,
while strictly prohibiting and controlling any of their politicd movements. See Madjid. Islam,
Kemodem dan Keindonesiaan, pp. 192-193; Harry I. Benda, The Crescent and the Rising Sun:
Indonesian Islam Under the Japanese Occupation 19424945 (Bandung The Hague. 1958). p. 25;
and C. W. Watson, "Muslims and the State in Indonesia," in Hussin Mutaiib and Taj d-blam
Hashmi, eds.. Islam, Muslim urzd the Modern State (New York: St. Martin Press. 1994). p. 176.
" Madjid, Ishm, Kernodernan don Keindonesiaan, p. 235.
Madjid, Islam, Kernodeman dmr Keindonesim. p. 205.
"Fathimah, Chapter 1. " 88
In other words, Islam would be detached fkom the authority of these political institutions and,
consequently, Muslims would have no obligation to vote for them. However, Madjid seems
to agree with Harun Nasution in believing that it is not the authority of Islam that should be
detached from politics, but rather the authority of the practices of Muslims.ln This was also
the sort of secularization that Mehmct Zia Giikalp (1875- 1924) and Mustafa K e d Atanirk
(1881-1938) promoted in Turkey, i.e. to "demystify" religion. although some scholars,
including Madjid himself, would say that they, paticularly the latter, went too fare1*
Furthermore, it seems that this Weberian approach of Madjid regarding the concept
of secularization corresponds, although in a somewhat different form, to what the New
Testament scholar and theologian Rudolf Bultmann proposes as the b6demythologizationo" f
the New Testament message in favor of interpreting it in terms of the existentialist
philosophy of Martin Heidegger? Or it may be said to resemble what Olaf Schumann calls
bringing religion back to its original purpose, i.e., giving a moral orientation to human beings
and freeing them from any relations that enslave them in any possible way, including its
12' Madjid, Islam, Kemodernnn &n Keindonesiaan, pp. 236-237. Nasution, however,
necessitates the difference between detaching the state from religion and detaching religion from the
state. See his "Westernization, Islamization, and [Turkif'ication] in Major Social Institutions,"
unpublished term paper, Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University (April 1969, p. 4.
See Madjid. Tradisi Islam, pp. 77-78; Nifer Wle, "SecuIarism and Islamism in Turkey:
The Making &Elites and Counter-Elites," in Mi& Eosr Jouml, vol. 5 1, no. 1 (Winter 1997). pp.
46-58. Cf. Niyazi Berkes, The DeveZopment of Secularism in Turkey (Montreal: McGill University
Ress. 1964); Nasution. "Westernization, Islamization, and purkification]," and Pardoyo,
Sekularisasi dalnm Polern* p. 75.
'" See Rudolf Bulhnann's manifesto, "New Testament and Mythology," in Hans Werner
Bartsch (Ed.) and Reginald H. Fuller nrans.), Kerygma and Myth: A Theological Debate, VO~. I
(London: SS.C.K.. 1964). pp. 1-16; and his ''The Case for Demythologidng," in ibid., vol. IT, pp.
181-194. However, for a good introduction to the demythologidng controversy for non-theologians
can k fomd in his more discursive work namely Jesus Christ curd Mythology (New York: Scribner,
1958). Cf. Madjid, Islm Dohrh dm Peradaban, p. xxv.
"Fathimah, Chapter Il, " 89
exploitation in order to gain political poweron*It also parallels the mission of Arkoun, who
is determined to fight against the so-called "mythoIogization" (al-ru 'ylal-khurrjFiyya) and
"ideologization" of Islam as proclaimed by Muslim militant^,^' and pardells the calls of
'Abdul al-KacIm Suroush for "desacralization of religious knowledge and Islamic
jurisprudence.
In responding to criticisms of his idea of secularization, Madjid, following Cox's and
Wilson's advice that one should not confuse secularization with secularism, clearly states
that seculaxization cannot be said to be equivalent to adopting secularism. According to him,
the latter usually refen to an ideology whose function is identical with religion, whereas
secularization is a more descriptive term implying an irreversible historical process that is
an authentic result of religious influence. Therefore, as regards secularism, it is very clear
that Madjid himself fmds it hard to accept it as something valuable and constructive for
Muslim societiedu In this case, he does not differentiate in principle between Western
systems of capitalism and socialism since they all ace undoubtedly grounded in the same
paradigm, which is a belief in the absolute name of worldly Me, the ultimate truth of human
reasoning and a rejection of any existence in the hereafter. It is in fact because of their
'30 Schumann, "Persepsi Diri dm Persepsi Majemuk di Barat," p. 63.
13' See Mohammed Arkoun. Rethinking Islam, translated and edited by Robert D. Lee (Oxford:
Westview Press, 1994), p. 2 and T~ikhjycual-jXarI -tArabF~I-I~I&tzrra nslated by Bshim Siilih.
(Beirut: Markaz al-In-' d-Qa-, 1986), pp. 21 1-2 13. See also BouIlata* s Trends and issues in
C~ r n p o r a lAyr ab Thought, pp. 79-85.
In See Roxanne Marcone. "Une critique de l'interpdtation religieuse des ul6mas hiens:
'Abdul al-m-m Suroush (1945-)." in Sciences Relc'giemes, no. 26, vol. 4 (1997). pp. 41 1-440. See
also Afshin Matin-Asgari, "CAbdulkarirnS omh and the Secularization of IsIamic Thought in Iran,''
in Iranian Studies. vol. no. 1-2 (Winter/Spring 1997). pp. 95-1 15.
In Madjid, Islrvn. Kemudenuur dan Keindonesiizan, p. 218 and 260. See also Cox, Tk Secular
City, pp. I8 and 74; and Wilson, "Secdarization," p. 1 1.
"Fathimah, Chapter I& " 90
emphasis on secularism in an ideological sense that Madjid considers neither the capitalist
nor the socialist approach as alternative ways of life for contemporary humanity.'" He
shows how such ideologies have in fact brought devastation upon Westerners themselves and
how they will lead to their fmal destruction. h this case, Madjid highlights the failure of
socialism in Russia as real evidence of the urnliability of communist ideology in which
atheism, a fundamental principle of the system, constitutes absolute secularism. In other
words, secularism has its climax in atheism.13' Clearly for him secularism is a violation of
the Islamic principles as set forth in the Qur'h. Unfortunately, Madjid's stance on
secularism, which is apparently also shared by the Muslims, including even his most bitter
opponents, has not made him less of a controversial figure. While they agree with Madjid on
secularism, the majority of his critics reject his interpretation of the concept of
secularization.'" Harun Nasution, who is known as the promotor of Mu 'tazila ideals in
Indonesia and who in general shares Madjid's reformist ideas, seems to fail to understand
Madjid's position on this controversial issue."
Madjid, Islam, Kernodeman dan Keindonesiaan, pp. 179-18 1. Cf. Boullata, Trends and
Issues in Contemporary Arab Thought, p. 8.
I" Madjid, Islam, Kernodeman &n Keindonesiaan, pp. 1 82- 190. Similarly. Paul M. van Bum
also writes that a true secularist is an atheist; however, he emphasizes fiuther that for a true
secularist, atheism is, as much as theism, a presumptuous doctrine without foundations. See Burm,
The Secufar Meaning of the Gospel (New York: Macmillan, 1966). p. 194.
IM Rasyidi, for instance, argues that there is no such clear difference in value between
secularism and secularization, or the adoption of the latter is impossible without holding on to the
former, while the latter is as bad as the former with respect to Islamic principles. See Korehi
terhadap Drs. Nurchoikh Madjid, p. 14. See also Azra, "Guarding the Faith of the Ummah," p. 112.
ff. Madjid. Islam, Kemodemun dm Keindonesiaan, p. 60.
In See for example his special response to Madjid's secdarizatioa thought, "Islam, Sekdarisasi
dan Sekularisme: Catatan atas Pemildran Pembaharum Nurcholish Madjid." in Nasution. Islam
Rasio~t(lIS, aifirl Muzani, ed. (Jakarta= Mizan, 1993, pp. 188-194.
"Fathimah, Chapter IZ, " 91
Furthermore, Madjid explains that the debate on secularization, particularly in
Indonesia, can be said to be rooted in an unclear demarcation between the concepts of
religion and culture. The existing vague perception of these two broad domains have
apparently influenced the attitude towards the validity in terms of religious values of the
cultural expression of Indonesian Islam. Many M u s h believe that, although religion is
inseparable from culture, they can still be differentiated. Religion as such, Madjid insists,
has an absolute and immutable character, while culture although based on religious norms,
is relative and can change in terms of time and place. Religion is primary and culture
secondary. Culture can take on a religious character because it is subordinate to religion.
While many cultures are based on religion, it is never the case that religion is based on
cultwe. Muslims must therefore be able to distinguish what aspects of religion are authentic
and what are manifkstations of its cultural aspects that constitute its means of expres~ion.~~
This line of thought seems to be parallel what Iqbal states:
r]he moral and social ideals of Islam have been gradually de-Islamized
through the influence of local character, and pre-Islamic superstitions of
Muslim nations. These ideals today are more Iranian, Turkish, or Arabian
than Islamic. The pure brow of the principle of Tauhid has received more or
less an impress of heathenism, and the universal and impersonal character of
the ethical ideals of Islam has been lost through a process of localizati~n.~~
Having explained Madjid's concept of secularization as a reflection of his
understanding of Islamic development in the Indonesian context, we can say that the bitter
and reactionary responses to it seem to be hyperbolic. Not only is this because his ideas are
'38 Madjid, Islam, Agama Kemanusiaan, p. 36.
IqbaI, The Reco~truction of Religious Thought in Islorn (Lahore: Shaikh Muhamrnad
Ashraf' 1951). p. 156.
' *Fathimah, Chapter ll. " 92
not in fact in contradiction with the essential principles of Islam, but also because the idea
is not in itself new to the history of Muslim reform thought. As can be seen from the abovementioned
approaches of Arkoun and IqbaI, Madjid's call for desacralization, as von der
Mehden points out, is actually echoed by the Muhammadiyah in its so-called "purification"
program, i.e., encouraging Muslims to avoid believing in myth (takhayyul), innovation
(bitfa), superstitions (Wlur@t), and other forms of polytheism (shirk)'" It also shows an
evident misinterpretation of Madjid's ideas. Consequently, while Madjid has never intended
to imply any separation between Mam and politics in his argument regarding secularization,
he does open up debate on the question of whether some sort of separable domain between
religion and politics in the process of modernization in Islam is either possible or admissible.
Also, although many people have accused Madjid of having very peculiar, even
somewhat heretical ideas, the history of Indonesian Islam in the last three decades has
demonstrated contrary but comforting evidence. Some academics believe that by urging the
ideas of modernization, rationalization and secularization, Madjid has virtually given a new
impetus to Islamic development in Indonesia, making it more efftrtive and thriving."' He
'" Madjid, lslam, Kernodeman dan Keindonesiaatr, p. 259. See also Mehden. Religion and
Modemitation, p. 12. For an account of Muhammadiyah reform agenda, see Achmad Jainuri. 'The
Formation of the M @ d y a h ' s ideology, 19 12-1942," unpublished Ph. D. dissertation, McGilI
University (May 1997) sad Umar Hisyam, Muhamnudiyah Jalun LUW ddam Tajdid, Dukwah,
Kaden'sasi dart Pendidikan: Krr'tik ckvl Terapirrya (Surabaya: P.T. Bina Ilmu, 1990).
14' SeeMud, "IsIarndBIarnHegemoniTeori Modemisasi,'' p. 88 and Fachry Ali, 'lntelektud,
Pengaruh Pemildran dm Lingltungannya. Butir-Butir CatatanuntukNurcholish Madjid" in Madjici,
Dialog Keterbuhn, pp. xxxiii-lvii. Because of this, many observers think that Indonesian Muslim
modernists are in a process of approaching, if it is not ovenhadowing, the bold achievement and
revohtionaq venture of Subcontinent modernism. Cf, Daniel W, Brown, "IsIarnic Modernism in
South Asia: A Reassessment," in The Mustim World, vol. 87, no. 3-4 (July-October, 1997). p. 2!!8
and Rethinking Tradition in Modcm Islamic Thought (New York : Cambridge University M s .
1996).
"Fathimah, Chapter ll. " 93
has created a conducive environment for the emergence of a new image of Islam -the image
of Indonesian Islam- an Idam that is beyond the characterization of Huntington and other
Western stereotype."' It is an Islam that "embraces modernity, advocates religious pluralism
and tolerance, and that emphasizes the mercy and compassion of He has indeed
contributed significantly to the change in the Western Orientalist and Indonesianist
mainstream hypothesis that the majority of Muslims in Indonesia are not really Muslim and
that Islam has been a marginal component of Indonesian culture and traditiodu He has
contributed to the rise of what Woodward calls an "Islam-centered paradigm" in Islamic
studies in Indonesia, a movement which has removed the anti-Islamic Orientalism of the
colonial era.'*' Madjid has brought about the emergence of the so-called "neomodernist"
tradition of Indonesian Islam, the promotion of which Daniel W. Brown calls the revivalist
paradigm, one that offers "real tools to resist Western hegemony, while at the same time
holding a greater claim to authentici@."'"
Finally, Madjid should receive credit for his insistence on modernization,
rationalization and secularization, rather than accusations of being unfaithful to Islam, as his
lhdonesian opponents have claimed. This is because of the fact that the growingphenomenon
of the contemporary Islamic movements, as Ira Lapidus highlights, is in fact the product of
See Huntington, "The Clash of Civilizations," in Foreign Affairs, voL 72, no. 3 (Summer,
1993), pp. 22-46.
Woodward, 'Talking Across Paradigms," p. 3. See also Geertz, Afer the Fact: Two
Countries, Four Decades, One Anthropologirt (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1999, p. 56.
See Madjid, Isiatn Agama Peradaban, pp. 297-3 18.
''' See Woodward, 'TaIking Across Paradigm," pp. 15-16.
'a Brown, ''hlsmic Modernism in South Asia," p. 270.
"Fathimah, Chapter 1 . " 94
the modernization, rationalization and secularization of Muslim societies, rather than a
reaction against them.14' In short, the emegence of new religious movements in the last few
decades has indeed proved the intellectual power of secularization theory as explained by
Madjid. And it is important to quote what Cox has to say about this: "[Tlhe current
reappearance of religion does not, however, make the message of The Secular City obsolete.
It remains true that biblical faith is often critical of human religi~usness."'~~
See Ira M. Lapidus, "Islamic Revival and Modernity: The Contemporary Movements and
the Historical Paradigms," in Journal of the Economic curdsocial Hisrory of the Orient, vo I. 40, no.
4 (1997) p. M8.
Cox, Religion in Thc Secular City, p. 20
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