Islamic Law and Society · 2005 · 72 citations · 0 references
Regime AnalysisIslamic LawColonialismEast Asian StudiesReformation ProcessInternational RelationsRelative WeightPolitical PluralismAnti-imperialismLawMajelis Ulama IndonesiaComparative PoliticsInternational LawIslamic StudyPolitical ScienceSocial SciencesGeopolitics
Abstract This essay examines the Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) and the legal decisions that it issued after the fall of President Suharto, whose regime played a role in its establishment. In light of MUI's changing relationship with the state under Suharto's successors B. J. Habibie and Abdurrahman Wahid, I call for a more nuanced reading of MUI's decisions.I also discuss the relative weight accorded to MUI decisions—variously called "opinions," pieces of "advice," and "fatwās"—arguing that these "discursive products" reflect a conscious attempt by MUI to break free from the circumstances of its birth and to guide the reformation process in postSuharto Indonesia.