Sharia and its Muslim Discontents: Islam, Decentralisation and Supercentralisation in Contemporary South Sulawesi
Yasir Alimi, Department of Anthropology, RSPAS, Australian National University
Districts (kabupaten) were strictly controlled by the central government under the New Order government of Indonesia. Since regional autonomy was implemented in 2001, district-level governance has become a powerful force in Indonesia's social and religious landscape. This paper is a case study of the Bulukumba District of South Sulawesi Province which examines how a district has adopted sharia (Islamic law) as a vital part of its cultural identity, and has controversially legalised it. I explore the contestation over sharia and identity in Bulukumba, by examining the locally specific use of sharia among many groups, as well as its social location within the district. Newly introduced by-laws have references to Mecca, rather than Jakarta or Bulukumba, which degrades the practice of Islamic rituals for the local people.
