The Crescent Arises over the Banyan Tree: A Study of the Muhammadiyah Movement in a Central Javanese Town, c.1910s-2010 (Second Enlarged Edition)

9. The Achievements of the Muhammadiyah

253 9 THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE MUHAMMADIYAH BACkgrOUND: A BlACk HOlE IN HISTOrY Before reviewing the achievements of the Muhammadiyah in Kotagede, it seems necessary to make a sober reminder for ourselves about one of the starting points of the period which we are looking at. I have already mentioned the point in the section on political diversification in Chapter 8. I am referring to “a black hole” in the history of Kotagede (see Box 9, pp. 239–41) as the background for the subsequent growth of the Muhammadiyah. Communists were undoubtedly the ideological and social force that was the most antagonistic to the Muhammadiyah movement in the town of Kotagede since the pre-war time. They were, however, incapacitated almost overnight in late 1965 by the arrest of a large number of PKI members and its front organizations, and the permanent outlawing of their activities thereafter. The Muhammadiyah developed its strength since then in a very favourable condition in which there was a void created by the disappearance of the PKI from the public scene. The national government took a policy of staunch antiCommunism . For that, the government launched its propaganda via the P2A (Proyek Pembinaan Agama or Religious Guidance Project) at the local level. The project involved local religious leaders, mostly from the Muhammadiyah in the case of Kotagede, as speakers at a series of pengajian (religious lectures) held in a thirty-five-day cycle. Those pengajian were aimed at gathering the 254 The Crescent Arises over the Banyan Tree “G30S/Ex-PKI people” for regular roll calls and debriefing of their ideology. As stated by one of its leaders, the immediate task of the Muhammadiyah movement after 1965 was to “‘regain’ the ex-PKI people to its fold”.1 It was difficult to gather information on how effective these “brainwashing sessions” were since any topic related to the PKI was to be avoided during my first field stay. But, I became aware that many of the familiar faces at the ex-PKI pengajian, which I was allowed to join in, were also active in such communal Islamic rituals as the collection and distribution of zakat fitrah during Idul Fitri and the slaughtering of sacrificial animals and distribution of their meats during Idul Adha. It seemed that a number of those ex-PKI people were being socially rehabilitated via religious paths.2 Having this historical background in mind, let us take a look at the achievements of the Muhammadiyah movement in the town over the past some forty years. As a socio-religious movement, the Muhammadiyah endeavours to attain its goal of a “truly Islamic society” (masyarakat Islam sebenar-benarnya) via (1) religious propagation (dakwah), (2) school education (pendidikan), and (3) promotion of social welfare.3 So, my assessment shall be focused on those three areas. rElIgIOUS PrOPAgATION (DAKWAH) It is difficult to measure the success or failure of religious propagation in exact terms since the result is ultimately a matter of individual conscience. One way, however, to approach the matter is to look at the external behaviour of people and institutions created by people. For that, the growth of mosques in 1. “Diskontinuitas dan stagnasi: Cermin kemacetan kita dewasa ini [Discontinuity and stagnation: Reflection of our stoppage at present time]”, Brosur Lebaran, No. 29, 1411H/1991M, p. 15. 2. There are some literary writings on the violent removal of the PKI and its sympathizers from the public life of Kotagede and its aftermaths as follows: A short story by Erwito Wibowo, “Pasar Kotagede 1960–1965”, Brosur Lebaran, No. 33, 1415H/1995M, pp. 122–30; an essay and short stories in Darwis Khudori, Orang-Orang Kotagede (Yogyakarta: Yayasan Bentang Budaya, 2000), and a short story entitled “Interogasi” in Bayi-Bayi Bersayap, by Mustofa W. Hasyim (Jakarta: Progres, 2003). A comprehensive academic research on the subject is yet to be done before long since those who have been involved are passing away one by one. 3. Raker PCM Kotagede 2008 [Material for Working Conference of Kotagede Branch of the Muhammadiyah, 2008]. The Achievements of the Muhammadiyah 255 the town may be one good indicator. So, I shall trace the growth of mosques first, and, then, the activities held there. Mosques In 1972 when I left Kotagede upon the completion of my first fieldwork period, there were only two mosques in the town, the old Great Mosque of Mataram and the new Silver Mosque.4 In 1978, a...