ABSTRACT
Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim country, with 87 per cent of the population adhering to the faith. The country has been widely regarded as home to a moderate brand of Islam compared to the more assertive political and militant Islamic revivals that have taken place in the Middle East. Much of the population of the main island of Java has long adhered to a blend of JavaneseHindu beliefs combined with Islamic belief and ritual practices. However, for the past two decades, there has been a shift in the religious landscape, as increasing numbers of so-called ‘statistical’ or nominal Muslims have sought to deepen their faith and adhere more closely to the prescriptions of Islam. There has been a steady rise in Muslim consciousness and ritual formalism, especially among the urban middle classes and student population. University campuses have become fertile ground for an Islamic awakening, with students being recruited into a diverse range of disciplined organisational cells. Some of these cells have taken their inspiration from fundamentalist thought and organisational models of radical Islamic movements in the Middle East.
