42 islam, politics and change
Hilmy Aminuddin. In contrast to Salim Segaf, Hilmy Aminuddin decided
to simplify the recruitment requirements and targeted students of secular
universities. In this way, the jt succeeded in extensively recruiting new
members and expanded its branches to various major cities across the
country.²⁷
By the late 1980s, the jt had established a stronghold in many major
cities. In Jakarta and Bogor it established a network of institutions:
Nurul Fikri(Arabic, lit. illumination of ideas), study groups assisted high
school students in their studies but were used by jt activists to recruit
members;Sabili(Arabic, lit. my way), a magazine promoting Islamic
teachings to the public, especially to the young led by Rahmat Abdullah;
Khairul Ummah(Arabic, lit. the best community), a dakwah group led
by Yusuf Supendi;Al-Hikmah(Arabic, lit. wisdom), an Islamic boarding
school led by Abdul Hasib Hasan; and ‘Studies and Information on
Contemporary Islamic World’, a study group that distributes information
about international politics and conflicts, especially in Palestine and
Afghanistan, led by Abu Ridho and Almuzammil Yusuf.²⁸
During the 1990s, the jt had stable networks in many universities in
major cities across the country, and it started taking over intra-curricular
and extra-curricular student organisations. From the North Sumatra
University in Medan, North Sumatra, to the Indonesian University in
Jakarta, Bogor Institute of Agriculture in nearby Bogor, Bandung Institute
of Technology in Bandung, Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta,
Sepuluh November Institute of Technology in Surabaya and Brawijaya
University in Malang, down to the Hassanuddin University in Makassar
South Sulawesi, the top leadership and activists among all their students
were jt members.
During the months of crises ahead of the regime change in the
mid-1990s, when Indonesian Islam-based political activism under the
umbrella of the icmi (Indonesian Muslim Intellectual Association)²⁹
was active in mobilising issues and support, jt students’ networks
established kammi, facilitated by icmi networks and led by Fahri Hamzah.
Subsequently, this organisation would supply many of the jt and pks
Arief Munandar,Antara Jemaah Dan Partai Politik: Dinamika Habitus Kader
Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (pks) Dalam Arena Politik Indonesia Pasca Pemilu 2004,
PhD dissertation, The University of Indonesia, 246.
Ali Said Damanik,Fenomena Partai Keadilan: Transformasi 20 Tahun Gerakan
Tarbiyah di Indonesia(Jakarta: Teraju, 2002), 139–175.
icmi was founded in 1990 under the patronage of former President B.J. Habibie –
then Minister of Research and Technology – and played a bridging role between
the Suharto regime and Islam-based politics.