Budhy Munawar-Rachman (born 1963) is an Indonesian progressive Islamic scholar. He is a lecturer of

Islamic studies Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...

at Paramadina University and an editor of

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...

journal ''Ulummul Qur'an''.Kersten, Carool. ''Islam in Indonesia the Contest for Society, Ideas and Values.'' (2015) C. Hurst & Co. He is influenced highly by the renowned Indonesian Islamic scholar

Nurcholish Madjid Nurcholish Madjid (March 17, 1939 – August 29, 2005), in Indonesia affectionately known as Cak Nur, was a prominent Indonesian Muslim intellectual. Early in his academic career, Nurcholish was a leader in various student organizations. He soon ...

and considered as the successor of Madjid's strand of progressive Islamic thoughts, namely Islamic neo-modernism.

Early life

Munawar-Rachman received the higher education at STF Driyarkara, majoring in

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

. STF is an acronym for Indonesian Higher School for Entrepreneurship, which is a unique type of higher educational institution which offers no degrees or qualifications. It is considered that this uncommon educational background equipped him a distinct perspective in his intellectual outlook.

Career

Munawar-Rachman served in multiple positions, including the director of the Center for Islamic Studies at Paramadina University for 12 years from 1992 to 2004, the director of the Institute for Religious Studies and Philosophy (LSAF) from 1992 to 1995, and the founder and the director of Project for Pluralism and Religious Tolerance, the Center for Spirituality and Leadership (CSL) since 2004. Currently, he works at the Program Officer of Islam and Development at

The Asia Foundation The Asia Foundation is a nonprofit international development organization committed to "improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia". The Asia Foundation (TAF) was established in 1954 to undertake cultural and educational activities on be ...

, aside from his professorship at Paramadina University. He is also the founder of Nurcholish Madjid Society (NCMS). He also authored more than fifty publications, including ''Islam Pluralis'' (Pluralist Islam, 2003), ''Fiqih Lintas Agama'' (Interreligious Fiqh, co-author, 2003) and ''Membaca Nurcholish Madjid'' (Reading Nurcholish Madjid, 2008). He also has experience on editing multiple encyclopedias related to Islam, namely ''Ensiklopedi Nurcholish Madjid'' (Encyclopedia of Nurcholish Madjid, 2007).

Views

While Munawar-Rachman succeeds Madjid's position on progressive Islam, he is also grounded on Islamic orthodoxy and highly regard the importance of

fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh. The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and ...

study. He is included in the number of Muslim intellectuals who do not see the conflict between Pancasila ideology and Islam, and seeking to elevate the discourse regarding Islam to more substantive ethical level. He is also inspired by Harun Nasution's neo-Mutazilite thought, leading to his view on the rationalization of religion. He coined the term 'progressive Muslim intellectuals' within the context of Indonesian Islamic intellectual landscape, which aimed at transcending the more conventional traditionalist-modernist dichotomy. 'Progressive Muslim intellectuals' in his definition is broadly defined by the Muslim intellectuals who opposed the 2005 fatwa against pluralism, liberalism, and secularism by

Indonesian Ulema Council Indonesian Ulema Council ( id, Majelis Ulama Indonesia, ar, مجلس العلماء الإندونيسي, abbreviated MUI) is Indonesia's top Islamic scholars body. MUI was founded in Jakarta on July 26, 1975 during the New Order era. The council ...

(MUI).Riyadi, Ahmad Ali. ''Dekonstruksi Tradisi: Kaum Muda Tradisi Merobek Tradisi''. (2007) Yogyakarta:Ar-Ruzz, pp.165-8.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munawar Rachman, Budhy 1963 births 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Indonesian Muslims Living people Indonesian Muslim scholars of Islam Muslim reformers