Islam Nusantara

Islam Nusantara or Indonesian (Islamic) model is a term used to refer to the empirical form of Islam that was developed in the Nusantara (Indonesian archipelago). This term was introduced and promoted by the Indonesian Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in 2015, as a rejection of Wahhabism.^[1]

According to NU, the roots of Islam in the archipelago can be traced back to at least the 16th century, as a result of interaction, contextualization, indigenization, interpretation and vernacularization of universal Islamic values, according to socio-cultural reality of Indonesia.^[1] Islam Nusantara is defined as an interpretation of Islam that takes into account local Indonesian customs in forming its fiqh.^[2] It tends to express greater pluralism and moderation, opposition to fundamentalism, and a degree of syncretism with local traditions.

In June 2015, Indonesian President Joko Widodo openly expressed his support for Islam Nusantara, which in his view is the moderate form of Islam compatible to Indonesian cultural values.^[3]