Malang, NU Online
Member of the Advisory Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) KH M. Tholhah Hasan said that as a religion of peace, Islam came into Indonesia in the 7th century and had continued to grow until now.

"Islam has contributed to the cultural diversity of the archipelago. Islam is not only present in the great traditions but has also enriched the cultural plurality through the Islamization and indigenization of Islam as voiced by the late of KH Abdurrahwan Wahid (Gus Dur)," he said.

According to the cleric popularly called Kiai Tholhah,  Islam has given birth to the many little religious traditions in such regions of the archipelago as Islam-Aceh, Java, Sunda, Bugis, and and so on. Though such traditions have also given certain patterns of diversity, which consequently may be ambiguous, the ambiguity is a religious function that is generally accepted from the sociological point of view.

In terms of the influence of local culture and customs, he said that there was an attempt to articulate the message of religiosity with local contents. The religious encounter with the local culture could take many forms.

"There will be a clash in which the local culture is wiped out and replaced with new ones through the process of Islamization as happened in Padang in the past. In addition, it could be carried out through the way of accommodation," he said, adding that there must be complementary dialogue between local cultures and the teachings of Islam.

In this context, according to Kiai Tholhah, Islam is merely accepted through its symbolic content. While, its substance such as beliefs in ancestors is still preserved. (Masdar)