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The ''Abangan'' are Javanese people who are Muslims and practice a much more syncretic version of Islam than the more orthodox
santri In Indonesia, ''santri'' is a term for someone who follows Islamic religious education in ''pesantren'' (Islamic boarding schools). Santri usually stay in the place until their education is complete. After completing their study period, some of ...
. The term, apparently derived from the Javanese language word for red, ''abang'', was first developed by
Clifford Geertz Clifford James Geertz (; August 23, 1926 – October 30, 2006) was an American anthropologist who is remembered mostly for his strong support for and influence on the practice of symbolic anthropology and who was considered "for three decades. ...
, but the meaning has since shifted. ''Abangan'' are more inclined to follow a local system of beliefs called
adat Alesis Digital Audio Tape (ADAT) is a magnetic tape format used for the recording of eight digital audio tracks onto the same S-VHS tape used by consumer VCRs. Although it is a tape-based format, the term ''ADAT'' now refers to its success ...
and Kebatinan than pure Sharia ( Islamic law). Their belief system integrates Hinduism,
Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
and
animism Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things— animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, hum ...
. However, some scholars hold that what has classically been viewed as Indonesian variance from Islam is often a part of that faith in other countries. For example,
Martin van Bruinessen Martin van Bruinessen (born 10 July 1946, Schoonhoven, Kingdom of the Netherlands) is a Dutch anthropologist and author, who has published a number of publications on the Kurdish, Indonesia, Turkish, Persian cultures, and also on aspects of Isla ...
notes similarity between ''adat'' and historical practice among Muslims in Egypt as described by Edward Lane.


Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66

Many Abangans were supporters of the
Communist Party of Indonesia The Communist Party of Indonesia (Indonesian: ''Partai Komunis Indonesia'', PKI) was a communist party in Indonesia during the mid-20th century. It was the largest non-ruling communist party in the world before its violent disbandment in 1965 ...
(PKI), and their interests were thus supported by the PKI. They subsequently made up most of the people who were slaughtered in the anti-Communist
Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66 The Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66, also known as the Indonesian genocide, Indonesian Communist Purge, or Indonesian politicide ( id, Pembunuhan Massal Indonesia & Pembersihan G.30.S/PKI), were large-scale killings and civil unrest pri ...
. Abangans were targeted for attacks by Ansor, the youth wing of
Nahdlatul Ulama Nahdlatul Ulama (, , NU) is an Islamic organization in Indonesia. Its membership estimates range from 40 million (2013) to over 95 million (2021), making it the largest Islamic organization in the world. NU also is a charitable body funding sch ...
and the Santri with help from the Indonesian Army.Ricklefs 2008
p. 327. To avoid being classified as atheist and communists, Abangan Muslims were forced by the Indonesian government to convert to Hinduism and Christianity in the aftermath of the slaughter.


References


Further reading

* Embree, Ainslie T. ed. ''Encyclopedia of Asian history'' (4 vol. 1988) 1:1. *


External links


Global and local in Indonesian IslamAbangan - World History Study Guide
Islam in Indonesia Java {{Islam-stub