44 islam, politics and change
When the jt was created in the early 1980s, there were already networks
of dakwah activists and organisations spanning across the major cities
in the country, and especially among young academics. This network
organised regular recruitment and training sessions for activists, and
established centres in – or near – campus mosques in various cities such
as Jakarta, Bogor, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Malang, Palembang,
Lampung, Padang, and Makassar.³⁰
This network of activism dated back to 1968 when ddii organised
training sessions calledLatihan Mujahid Dakwah(lmd, or Dakwah
Fighters Training) in Jakarta for young Muslim activists. Well-known
figures involved in this training included former Masyumi politicians
such as Natsir, Roem, and former Minister of Religious Affairs Mukti Ali,
while the participants included Imaduddin Abdurrahim, Amien Rais,
Kutowijoyo, Abu Ridho and Mashadi. The last two went on to become
senior jt activists.³¹
From 1974 onward, alumni of the lmd started to spread to various
campuses, with two of these locations rising to particular prominence. The
first was the Salman³² mosque of the Bandung Institute of Technology
(itb) where Imaduddin Abdurrahim established a series of training
sessions calledLatihan Hidup Islami(lhi, or Islamic Life Training) to
promote an Islamic way of life among students and the public. The second
was the Shalahuddin mosque of Gadjahmada University in Yogyakarta,
under the leadership of Amien Rais. Here they established a Salahuddin³³
community that organised lectures and discussions on Islam. From
these two institutions younger generations of dakwah activists emerged
who later became jt leaders, such as Hidayat Nur Wahid, Mutamimul
Ula, Untung Wahono, Tifatul Sembiring, Tjahjadi Takariawan, amongst
others.³⁴
2.3 Institutional Frameworks for Political Competition
Another factor that contributed to the unique trajectory of jt’s historical
development is the political institutions that have regulated political
A.M. Luthfi, ‘Gerakan Dakwah di Indonesia’, in Jimly Ashidiqy et al.,Bang Imad:
Pemikiran dan Gerakan Dakwahnya(Solo: Gema Insani Press, 2002), 158–166.
Ibid.
The name refers to Salman Al-Farisi, the Prophet Muhammad’s companion who
is regarded as his best military strategist.
It refers to a Kurdish Muslim general during the Crusades, Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi
(1138–1193).
Ibid.