FRIDAY PRAYER AND AN INDONESIAN ISLAMIC IDENTITY IN CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA

oleh: Syamsul Rijal

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: State Islamic University (UIN) of Sunan Ampel Surabaya 2009-06-01

Deskripsi

This paper analyses the meaning of Friday prayer for Indonesian Muslims students in Canberra, Australia. Due to the nature of obligatory prayer (<em>s</em><em>}ala&gt;h</em>) 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.