2008_06_07_TJP Islamist parties try to be less Islamist-c

“Cognizant of its credential deficit in both Islamic politics and democracy, successive governments have felt compelled to demonstrate sympathetic gesture to the Muslim communities, sometimes stronger than actually believed.

With abundant Islam credentials in hand, never at any time did Wahid need to prove that he was pro-Islam. So much so that he could afford to demonstrate the opposite. Instead of calling for jihad against the enemies of Islam, Wahid did almost the extreme opposite.”

Heryanto, Ariel (2008) “Islamist parties try to be less Islamist”, The Jakarta Post, 07/06/2008.

See also: “When governments try to look more Islamic”

keywords: Gus Dur, Islamization, Jakarta Post, PKS, political parties, UMNO