Suchergebnisse

Aa Gymnastiar (Gym) is a popular Indonesian Muslim preacher who seems to be now at the pinnacle of his fame. He regularly gives advice to the head of state and to ministers and yet at the same time his approach to Islam appeals to all sections of the national Muslim community. His is a familiar face in newspaper columns and above all on television screens; Aa Gym has a masterful command of the media. This article describes and accounts for his popularity and discusses it in terms of continuity and change in the rise and decline of Muslim celebrities in Indonesia. It points out the difference between Gym and some obvious forerunners such as the scholar Hamka, and stresses that the nature of Gym's appeal is new in as much as he does not come from within the circle of traditional families of Muslim ulama. He seems to draw his information as much from secular sources of self‐help manuals as from books of Sufi wisdom. Although very popular and influential among the general circle of believers, he is regarded with some suspicion by those who criticize his sufistic leanings and lack of an orthodox Muslim education. The article concludes by arguing that Gym and his approach to the implementation of Muslim precepts is more representative of the nature of Islam in Indonesia today than the activities of terrorists.

In May 1934 Nehru and Sukarno were both in detention. Nehru was in Dehra Dun jail sentenced to two years after having been found guilty of making a seditious speech. Sukarno, also arrested for sedition, was in exile on the island of Flores. For both men it was a period of reflection and analysis, a time to review the progress of the nationalist movement and make some assessment of their own contributions to it. Nehru, more given to introspection than Sukarno, composed his autobiography during this time, and continued with the historical studies he had commenced during earlier prison terms. Sukarno in exile spent much of his time getting to grips with Islam, primarily, it would appear, to prepare arguments to convince the leaders of the Islamic movements in Indonesia of the compatibility of Islam with modernization and progressive political action. In this respect, like Jinnah, he was attracted to the figure of Kemal Attaturk whose general outlook on the relationship between state and religion he endorsed.

Seeking to broaden the view of what constitutes the role of entrepreneurial universities in transitional economies, this chapter discusses the way in which Higher Education in Indonesia has over several decades used service learning programmes to contribute to rural development and encourage the growth of small village enterprises. In recent years, programmes bringing together universities and local government have introduced sophisticated initiatives designed to empower rural communities politically, socially and economically. Central to the new thinking has been the engagement of students in seeking to identify the immediate needs and the potential of communities to develop their own local entrepreneurial ventures. At the same time, units within universities, working closely with government ministries, and using the insights gained from student reporting, are focusing on specific projects that can create sustainable economic and social development. It is still too early to gauge the success of this new integrated approach. Nonetheless, the projects described in the chapter demonstrate that the concept of entrepreneurial universities should not be limited to teaching and research activity or the establishment of campus hubs, but should also incorporate the potential for direct engagement at grass-root sites in which students have a major role to play as facilitators and knowledge brokers.