FRIDAY PRAYER AND AN INDONESIAN ISLAMIC IDENTITY IN CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA

Syamsul Rijal

Abstract


This paper analyses the meaning of Friday prayer for Indonesian Muslims students in Canberra, Australia. Due to the nature of obligatory prayer (s}ala>h) in Islam, it is hard to identify the symbolic meaning of every movement of prayer for the Muslim participants. However, using Bowen‎‎’‎‎s analysis, this paper emphasizes the social significance of Friday prayer for its participants in a particular place and time. It argues that Friday prayer is viewed by Indonesian Muslim participants as a medium to strengthen their Islamic faith and their membership of the Indonesian Islamic community in Canberra. Being a minority group, facing a prevailing Western culture, they try to maintain their faith and create social cohesion among Indonesian Muslims through their participation in this Islamic ritual.

Keywords


Indonesian Islamic identity; Friday prayer; Muslim minorities

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DOI: 10.15642/JIIS.2009.3.1.148-167

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