Govt Launches Book on History of Islam in Indonesia
The book was prepared by the Directorate General of Culture at the Primary and Secondary and Culture Ministry, the Jakarta Post reported.
“The Indonesian version of Islam is better than the one in Saudi Arabia because it does not bring about ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria], al-Qaeda and other movements, which have the penchant to call others infidels. It is ridiculous,” Historian Taufik Abdullah said about the book as quoted by Antara.
During the launch of the book, titled The History of Islam in Indonesia (SKII), director general of culture at the ministry Kacung Maridjan said he liked to call the strand of Islam in Indonesia the Islamic style of Indonesia.
“I appreciate this book, because most books on Islam in the country usually tell about [Islam] in Java. This book has it all; the historical roots, intellectual tradition, institutionalization, literature and art as well as artifacts.”
The writers in the book have come to the conclusion that Islam arrived in Indonesia in the ninth century, and local Muslim rulers only gained power in the 13th century.
“The Portuguese and the Dutch who colonized Indonesia declared the traces of Indonesian Islam were found in the 13th century, both in Pariaman [West Sumatra] and the north coast [Java],” Taufik said.
