Religions in Lombok

The civilization and the culture of Lombok are formed by people with different religions (Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Bodha, and Buddhism). Religion is a personal identity and a pride in Indonesia whatever the religion is. Islam as religion for the majority of Lombok's people does involve in the tourism activity based on religious acceptance and religous cultural respect between the visitors and the hosts.

It's paralyzed if visitors force the Muslim and the local people of the island to accept their habits without a positive will to consider to respect the cultural and customary standard of Lombok, such as clothing habit, and human relation especially between the man and the woman in public, such as kissing and holding each other's hand which are strictly prohibited, and worst seen.

The History of Islam in Lombok

Prior to the arrival of Islam, Lombok was the island based on the life philosophy of Hinduism–Buddhism under the rule of the Majapahit Kingdom, the biggest Hindu Kingdom in the archipelago (1293 – 1478). Islam was introduced in northen Lombok by Sunan Prapen, the son of Sunan Giri, a Saint from Java in the end of 14th century and in the beginning of the 15th century. Since then Islam has been spreading and developing in Lombok peacefully as well as under the colonial governments’ pressure amongst the inhabitants whose still condemned themselves strongly into the Hinduism-Buddhism life philosophy, that inevitably forms some variants of Moslem. Those variants are:

Normal Moslem

The Normal Muslem is formed by the Normal Islam, or is often said as The Muslem Waktu Lima – Sunni Muslem. This Sunni Muslem is grouped into two:

Santri Moslem – Clerical Central Figure

The Santri Muslem comes from and formed by the Islamic Boarding School (Pesantren) teachings that intensively enlighten Lombok with religious, heroic, economy, politic, and general knowledge since the few Lombok’s people returned from the Hajj Pilgrimage. That was the beginning of the national awakening in Lombok.

During the colonial governments occupation (Balinese Hinduism – 150 years and the Dutch – 50 years), education was largely banned, and politically oppressed. From this period untill 1940, Lombok had only 11 primary schools and one middle school, whereas Indonesia in general had only three universities institutions. The Santri Muslems are emotionally related to their clerical leaders as the central figures (Tuan Guru) in life. Their political aspirations are channeled by their Tuan Guru to the directed existing Indonesia n political parties for best options to the state, and to their people. Once a month at least, Tuan Guru delivers a public religious enlightenment speech (known to the locals as Pengajian) to their people whilst raising fund for their community development projects. The biggest Santri Muslem Organization in Lombok is Nahdhatul Wathan with the headquarter in East Lombok. This organization organizes thousands of education institutions starting from kindergarten to universities since 1925 as a response to the lack of schools and poor education quality in Lombok.

Non-Santri Moslem (No Clerical Central Figure)

Non-Santri Muslem is the Muslem who was educated in Modern Islamic Boarding Schools (Pesantren), or in others, or the non-formally educated Muslem. This type of Muslem does not have clerical central figures that relate emotionally with them. Their political aspirations are independently organized by them to the existing Indonesia's political parties of their choice. The biggest organization of this non-Santri Muslem in Lombok is Muhammadyah with the headquarter in Mataram, the capital city of Lombok.

Traditional Muslem (Moslem Metu Telu)

It is often said as the Islam Metu Telu. This group constitutes the first Moslem in Lombok since the end of the 14th century, living mostly in the mountains around the said-sacred Mount Rinjani, and in the remote areas of central and southern Lombok . It seems that the process of Dakwah/Islamic Teaching finished at this period.

There is no distinctive principle confession of Islam (Syahadatain) between the Moslem Metu Telu and the Moslem Waktu Lima; however the Moslem Metu Telu still strongly practices the genuine traditional religion rites which ressemble to the Hinduism rites, such as: - Maintaining the existence of the Holly Shrine (Pedewag) – the place to worship and to put the offerings.
- Maintaining the funtion of the mediator (Pemangku) in relating to Allah – God Al-Mighty.

Pemangku (Mediator) will pray for his people, therefore his people are free from religious obligations. During Ramadhan, his people may not do the Ramadhan when he/she is invited to a fiesta, works in the rice fields, or does other physical activities. The Pemangku/Mediator will do the Ramadhan for his people as long as he is informed before. In exchange of this, he/she has to pay a charity in form of the harvest. If they do the Ramadhan, they tend to take only three days; one day in the beginning, one day in the middle, and one day in the end. The Moslem Metu Telu keeps the traditions strongly, and this had been supported by the Dutch Colonial Government as in 1920 the Moslem Metu Telu set up a political movement to maintain and to develop their believes. The daily appearances of the Muslem Metu Telu look very humble, economically and intellectually they are under-developed because whatever they will do they have to ask the opinion, consideration and the decision of the mediator. Whatever the decision is, they have to obey. They may not breach the existing system, otherwise they have to be out of the Moslem Metu Telu community. During the colonial government, this group was the beloved people in Lombok, because they had tolerated the Dutch occupation. Fighting or refusing the King was a crime. The King (The Dutch Government) was the center of the universe that had to be respected.

Moslem Metu Telu has also some variants depending on the learning intensivity to Islam and their will to purify their traditions to be Islamic traditions. The variants are Bayan, Sembalun, Sapit, Tetebatu, Bun Jeruk, and Rambitan. The Moslem Metu Telu slowly decreases in number and practices along the government programmes to bring the purity of every religion. If you want to see or to do a research on the Moslem Metu Telu, you may visit in the following areas:
Karang Bayan (West Lombok), Lingsar (West Lombok), Segenter (North Lombok), Senaru (North Lombok), Nyiur Baya (West Lombok), Suranadi (West Lombok), Karang Bajo (North Lombok), Sembalun (East Lombok), Sapit (East Lombok), Tetebatu (East Lombok), Bon Jeruk (Lombok Central), Sukarara (Lombok Central), Rambitan (Lombok Central), Sade (South Lombok), Tanak Bea (West Lombok), and Narmada (West Lombok).

The History of Christianity in Lombok

Christianity was firstly introduced by the Dutch Colonial Government in 1895 at the beginning of the Dutch rule in Lombok after the heroic Lombok war in 1884. During the 1st and 2nd world war, one or two local women of Lombok were converted into Christianity following her husbands’ religions. Since the Independence of Indonesia in 1945, they started to come and to live in Lombok . They worked mostly as the middle and high rank officers of the new established Indonesian government.

They were either deployed by the central government from Java, North Sulawesi, Flores, and Sumba, or came on their own will to live and to work in Lombok. The arrival of those peoples were really welcomed by the genuine people of Lombok (the Moslem and the Hindu).

The History of Hinduism in Lombok

Hinduism is one of the genuine religions of the archipelago since thousands of years. It is noted the biggest Hinduism Kingdom in the archipelago known as Majapahit (1293 – 1478) that ruled all the Indonesian Islands today, Papua, Malaysia, and the Philippine.

When Islam started to spread in Lombok in the XIVth century, the people of Lombok converted into the new religion (Islam) not by force but by acculturation. Hinduism that exists in Lombok now is the Hinduism which was brought by the Balinese immigrants in search for new life in Lombok since the 1600. The immigrants came from the arid dry regions in East Bali.

The History of Bodha in Lombok (Local Lombok Buddhism)

Bodha, like Hinduism is one of the genuine religions of Indonesia. The Bodha communities live in the remote places at the foot of Mount Rinjani. These communities preserve their own culture and tradition. Bodha is not Buddhism, however with the assistance of the central government, the Bodha Religion has been enriched with the Buddhism elements since 1970. You can visit the Bodha Community at Dasan Bila Village in North Lombok.

The History of Buddism/Chinese in Lombok

Buddhism started to come to Lombok in 1830 along with the arrival of the Chinese from China to work as the low-paid labors in the Dutch companies, and to start their own business in commerce. During the colonial government in Lombok, Chinese functioned as mediators between the local producers and the export companies, and then replaced the position of the Dutch export companies whilst continuing the mediating role.