Taqlid versus Islam Nusantara

Islam Nusantara is recently advertised as panacee against Islamic Terrorism, Wahabi or Salafi 'infiltration' in Indonesia. Not only the Nobel peace prize is here mentioned (see my blog earlier this month). Mark Woodward wrote an interesting piece in Inside Indonesia about some related words: besides 'Islam Nusantara' as the keyword for Nahdlatul Ulama, there is wasathia or 'middle Road Islam'  as the favourite word among the Sa'diya organization of the Buginese Muslim who have spread all over Indonesia. 'Cosmopolitan' or 'Global Values' sometimes related to Islam as God's mercy for all mankind or rahamatun lil 'alamin is another word, now loved by Muhammadiyah members.
One may doubt, however, whether this terminology is in fact attractive. Islamic ideals should be about important issues, even worth to die for. Martyrdom for something 'in the middle' or 'saving Indonesia culture' is probably not the right slogan?

Above is a picture of my self with in the back a banner for a speech I gave at the IKIP Muhammadiyah in Maumere, last October on Muslim Terrorism and European Reactions. For accreditation these institutions need proven international contacts and a personal picture, together with the banner of the speech is so needed.

In this war of words I had to think about about two debates of the 1970s and 1980s when I started research and encounter with Indonesian Islam. The first is about 'pure Islam' whether or not taqlid  is needed. In fact taqlid suggests that Islam is a complex and complete system: embracing Islam is not partial, but once accepted it is to be taken in full. Second: This is more clear in the question and answer with my students at IAIN, the Islamic Academies in Jakarta and Yogyakarta where I taught in Yogyakarta and Jakarta in the 1980s. Quite often I expressed sympathy with Muslim ideas and practice, and criticism towards Christianity. Students then asked: 'Why do you not embrace Islam in full'? My standard answer was that some of my European colleagues indeed had married Indonesian women and embraced Islam. But then they were mu'allaf or recent converts: worthy to be supported (one even received a free ticket for the hajj to Mecca from the Minister of Religions), but they should accept everything, all aspects of Islam. I said to my students that I would prefer to be a critical Catholic rather than a convert to Islam who had to be silent about aspects of Islam I did not like (like quite many detailed commands of shari'a). But this nuanced approach to religion generally is not so attractive, does not create massive support. Also in Europe liberal Christianity is shrinking while more fundamentalist churches are growing.