Indonesian Ulema Council (, , abbreviated MUI) is Indonesia's top Islamic scholars' body. MUI was founded in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

on 26 July 1975 during the New Order era. The council comprises many Indonesian Muslim groups including

Nahdlatul Ulama Nahdlatul Ulama (, , NU) is an Islamic organization in Indonesia. Its membership numbered over 40 million in 2023, making it the largest Islamic organization in the world. NU is also a charitable body funding schools and hospitals as well as or ...

(NU),

Muhammadiyah Muhammadiyah (), officially Muhammadiyah Society () is a major Islamic non-governmental organization in Indonesia.A. Jalil HamidTackle the rising cost of living longer New Straits Times, 30 October 2016. Accessed 1 November 2016. The organization ...

, Indonesia Institute of Islamic Dawah (LDII), and smaller groups such as Syarikat Islam, Perti, Al Washliyah, Mathla'ul Anwar, GUPPI, PTDI, DMI, and Al Ittihadiyyah. The Ahlul Bait Indonesia ( Shi'ite) and Jemaat Ahmadiyyah Indonesia (

Ahmadiyya Ahmadiyya, officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ), is an Islamic messianic movement originating in British India in the late 19th century. It was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908), who said he had been divinely appointed a ...

) were not accepted as members. In 2005, MUI released the

fatwa A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist ('' faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...

to prohibit Ahmadiyya as deviant sect of Islam and lobbied the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

to ban the expelled

religious sect A sect is a subgroup of a religious, political, or philosophical belief system, typically emerging as an offshoot of a larger organization. Originally, the term referred specifically to religious groups that had separated from a main body, but ...

Roles

The

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

, at the creation of the MUI stated three broad goals for the MUI: #Strengthening religion in the way the Pancasila describes to ensure national resilience. #Participation of the Ulama in national development. #The maintenance of harmony between the different religions in Indonesia.“Islamic state or state Islam? Fifty years of state-Islam relations in Indonesia”, in: Ingrid Wessel (Hrsg.), Indonesien am Ende des 20. Jahrhunderts. Hamburg: Abera-Verlag, 1996, pp. 19-34. Beside the three goals, nonetheless, there were two specific agendas of MUI's establishment. First, it aimed to help Suharto in communism repudiation. Second, it was an umbrella organization for political Islam canalization. Since the collapse of Suharto's regime in 1998, MUI has changed its approach in the state-religion relationship by envisioning a more active role to protect Muslim's interests while started a new position as a critical partner of the Indonesian government. The MUI, thus, acts as an interface between the Indonesian government and the Islamic communities. The changes in civil society after the fall of Suharto have both widened the role of the MUI and made it more complex. The MUI gives fatwas to the Islamic community; through this they dictate the general direction of Islamic life in Indonesia.Gillespie, P 2007, "Current Issues in Indonesian Islam: Analysing the 2005 Council of Indonesian Ulama Fatwa N0. 7" ''Journal of Islamic Studies'' Vol 18, No. 2 pp. 202-240. Fatwa (or plural form ''Fatawa'') represents Muslim's ethical response, legal interpretation, and contextual feedback on a particular social issue(s). The MUI now has twelve commissions and ten divisions that work together in behalf of Muslim's interest through various responsibilities such as fatwa, education and leadership training, women and family, law and regulation, research and development, inter-religious engagement, international relations, economic betterment and many more. Each commissions is led by professional and Islamic scholars. The MUI (particularly since the fall of Suharto) have given opinion and issued fatwas on a large variety of issues, from the role of the

Indonesian Army The Indonesian Army ( (TNI-AD), ) is the army, land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,400 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its roots in 1945 when the (TKR) "People's Se ...

in government to the public acceptability of the dancing of pop star Inul Daratista to the (sin of) deliberately burning forests to clear the land for growing crops.Forest-burning is a sin, says Indonesian Islamic council
BBC News, 14 Sept 2016 An important function of MUI is to provide

halal ''Halal'' (; ) is an Arabic word that translates to in English. Although the term ''halal'' is often associated with Islamic dietary laws, particularly meat that is slaughtered according to Islamic guidelines, it also governs ethical practices ...

for products (including but not limited to foods, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and clothing).

List of chairmen

* Abdul Malik Karim Abdullah (1975–1981) * (1981–1984) * (1984–1990) * Ali Yafie (1990–2000) * Sahal Mahfudh (2000–2014) * Din Syamsuddin (2014–2015) * Ma'ruf Amin (2015–2020) * Miftachul Achyar (2020–2023) * (2023–present)

Conflicts

MUI is a government funded organisation that acts independently but there have been examples of the MUI being asked to legitimise government policy. A particular example of this that caused friction within the MUI was request that the MUI support the government's birth control program. The government needed the support of the MUI and aspects of the program were objected to by many in religious circles.

References

External links

MUI official website

MUI official website
{{Authority control Religious organizations established in 1975 1975 establishments in Indonesia Islamic organizations based in Indonesia Organizations based in Jakarta

Roles

List of chairmen

Conflicts

See also

References

External links