Islam and reimagining communists in post-New Order Indonesia: an analysis of White Book of the PKI Terror in Kanigoro

ABSTRACT

This report investigates the revival, in post-New Order Indonesia, of the discourse about Peristiwa Kanigoro 1965 (the Kanigoro Affair). This incident occurred on 13 January 1965, when communist supporters attacked members of Pelajar Islam Indonesia (Islamic Students of Indonesia), who had organized a religious training programme at a pesantren (Islamic boarding house) in Kanigoro, Kediri, East Java. That being said, this report does not seek to ascertain the truth about the Kanigoro Affair. Instead, it explores the series of alleged related events that construct a discourse regarding communists being enemies of Muslims, found in Buku Putih Peristiwa Teror PKI Kanigoro (White Book of the PKI Terror in Kanigoro). It focuses on how the White Book shapes the way in which communists are discussed, establishing a rule of describing the Kanigoro Affair as an issue wholly of morality rather than something political. The report concludes that the Kanigoro Affair can be said to be a significant point for understanding Islamic groups’ ideological opposition to communism in Indonesia today.

KEYWORDS:

• Kanigoro Affair
• anti-communist group
• Islam
• communists
• Indonesia

Acknowledgements

This article extends on the author's undergraduate thesis in University of Brawijaya's Department of Sociology. The author wishes to express his gratitude to former thesis supervisors Dhanny Septimawan Sutopo and Sanggar Kanto, as well as anonymous manuscript reviewers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).