INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN STUDIES SPRING 2016
common ground which would resolve the ideological conflict between the secular nationalists and the traditionalist Muslims .
Wahid also introduced his thought of democracy to those who advocated the Islamic ideological paradigm , aspiring to the idea of an Islamic state . He tried to challenge their legal formal approach to the relationship between Islam and the state which considers the state is to implement the Shari ’ a ( Islamic law ) or , at least , to interpret the national ideology of Pancasila by the Shari ’ a . In line with the Fiqh paradigm , Wahid also considered the important role of the state for managing the public order , constituting the pre-requirement for religious order . However , the followers of the Fiqh paradigm do not consider the form of the state important , but only the function of the state . In line with this , the Muslim traditionalists justified the existence of the Netherland East Indies ( NEI ) and the Japanese Military Administration ( Gunseikan ) for the purpose of maintaining public order ( Kamil & Bamualim , 2007 , p . 97 ). Both governments also respected the rights of Muslims to practise Islam as the sine qua non for the acceptance of Muslims of the state . Moreover , both governments recognized the existing institutions for managing the internal affairs of the Muslims . They believed that it is not a religious duty to establish an Islamic state . In this regard , Wahid considers that secularization happens if the state is stronger than Islam ( Abdurrahman Wahid , 1999a , p . 77 ). Accordingly , he is critical of the idea of an Islamic state such as advocated by the followers of the Islamic ideological paradigm as it tends to be manipulated by the ruler to protect his / her interest for power , not protect Islam . Accordingly , he was critical of the Soeharto regime ’ s marriage of the convenience with the modernist Muslims ( Abdurrahman Wahid , 1999b , p . 12 ), who , then , associated with ICMI ( Indonesian Association of Muslim Intellectuals ).
He argued that the idea of an Islamic state advocated by the followers of the Islamic ideological paradigm was a kind of a counter discourse to the modern ideologies introduced by the colonialists ( Abdurahman Wahid , 2006 , p . 74 ), and he considered that this approach was no longer valid in the context of the Republic of Indonesia . He also believed that this ideological approach was not genuine in Islam , but rather adopting a foreign ideology to Islam . On contrary , he believed that foreign ideologies should be incorporated into Islam by means of the Fiqh paradigm which differentiates Islam from the political systems . By so doing , the followers of the Fiqh paradigm were aware of social forces playing in the social system and they did not try to change it by revolutionary method to suit the normative Islamic doctrines and teachings . This was due to the risk of the outbreak of anarchy , which would prevent the establishment of religious order ( Abdurrahman Wahid , 1999b , pp . 165- 171 ).
The FIQH paradigm and the mutual legitimacy between Islam and the state
Wahid believed in the Fiqh paradigm , based on his evaluation of the history of Islamic civilization . According to him , Islam came to the Indonesian archipelago by a means of peace , not military occupation , and the Muslim traditionalists justified the existing political orders ,
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