Islam, Local Culture, and Japan-Indonesian Relations

Abstract

Local culture is undoubtedly a very important aspect to every nation. Having an awareness of local culture, especially among the youth, plays a great role in shaping a society and a state. For one to have an appreciation of another country’s culture, however, can be an important starting point in breaking down barriers of misperceptions or misunderstandings, and in helping to build global relationships. In support of this idea, the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta this year offered a special program called the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youth (JENESYS) to strengthen the awareness of Japanese local culture among Muslim youth in Indonesia. In early 2014, the Japanese government, working in cooperation with PPIM (Center for the Study of Islam and Society) at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah in Jakarta, invited a number of university students to visit Japan.DOI: 10.15408/sdi.v21i2.1044

Chinese Muslim Community Development in Contemporary Indonesia: Experiences of PITI in East Java

“…Second, the PITI board also built the mosque to nurture Islam Nusantara. Indeed, the development of the Cheng Hoo Mosque can be understood as an attempt to foster both local culture and Islam (Fadlan and Darmadi 2014), which, to a certain extent, explains the subsequent construction of such mosques in other Indonesian cities, including Pandaan, Jember, Malang, Banyuwangi, Purbalingga, Banjarmasin, and Palembang. It is all part of the mission of Islamic da'wah in Indonesia.…”