Javanese Islam: a blend of Javanese culture and Islamic mysticism viewed from post-colonial perspective

This study simultaneously examines and explains about Javanese Islam (Islam Nusantara), which represents the characteristic of several Moslem in the world. The term ‘characteristic’ refers to the combination of Javanese culture (Javanese indigenous belief, Hindu and Buddha) and the intrinsic dimensions of Islam itself. This combination is a correlation of Javanese mysticism and Islamic mysticism. Those two concepts of mysticism substantively contain the teaching of the unity of God (tauhid). It enables the acculturation of Islam and Javanese culture. This study will use the reconstruction of the thought of Sufi teachers in Majelis Shalawat Muhammad in Surabaya and Bojonegoro as the research basis since Sufi teachers are considered as the prevalent subaltern in the post-colonial study. Therefore, this study is expected to be able to thoroughly explain how the subjects of Islamic mysticism can understand the dialectics of Islamic mysticism and Javanese mysticism itself. In sum, the combination of those two mysticism is considered to eventually emerge ‘Islam Nusantara’ as a special characteristic of Indonesia.