Seminar Series: Abstract

Reviving the Khilafah in the Nusantara: Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia and the Quest for the Caliphate
Mohamed Nawab Osman Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Political and Social Change, ANU

Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia is a local chapter of the larger transnational Islamic movement Hizb ut-Tahrir. In recent years, HTI has experienced rapid growth in membership, political and religious influence. It is the key aim of this research to examine the factors that have led to HTI’s rapid growth in Indonesia. The tentative central thesis of this research is that the rapid expansion of HTI in Indonesia is due to its ability to present and structure its transnational ideas amongst members and supporters. I will draw on the resource mobilization (RMT) variant of the social movement theory and concepts of ideology as theoretical frameworks for this research. This research seeks to contribute to contemporary studies on social movements by highlighting the centrality of ideology in understanding a social movement’s growth. At the same time, it attempts to contribute to literature on political Islam by highlighting why Muslims join certain organization over another.