Managing Sunni-Shia Tensions: Socio-Political and Cultural Peacebuilding in Sādah Bā ‘Alawiyyah, Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v13i3.1623Keywords:
Managing, Sunni–Shia Tensions, Everyday Peace, Peacebuilding, Hadhrami Diaspora, Sādah Bā ‘AlawiyyahAbstract
The Sādah Bā ‘Alawiyyah, as part of the Hadhrami Arab diaspora, has historically contributed to the dissemination of Islam in Indonesia. However, limited scholarly attention has been given to how this community internally manages sectarian differences, particularly between Sunni and Shia members. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating how the Sādah Bā ‘Alawiyyah community in Bondowoso navigates Sunni–Shia tensions through everyday peacebuilding practices. Employing a qualitative grounded theory approach, data were collected via in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis. The study explores three key issues: the structural dynamics of the Hadhrami Arab community in Bondowoso, the interactional patterns between Sunni and Shia Sadah in daily life, and the socio-cultural mechanisms that prevent conflict escalation. Findings reveal that historical memory, intergenerational kinship ties, and ritual continuity function as core resources for building trust and sustaining peaceful coexistence. Rather than relying on formal institutions, the community resolves tensions through informal, everyday strategies that foster mutual respect and cohesion. Conceptually, the study contributes to diaspora and peace studies by introducing the notion of “family-based everyday peace”, demonstrating that Hadhrami identity is negotiated not merely through religious authority or social status, but through practical, lived strategies for conflict mitigation within plural settings.
References
Abdul Latiff, L. (2014). The Hadhrami Arabs in Malaya Before the Second World War. Sejarah: Journal of the Department of History, 23(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.22452/sejarah.vol23no1.1
A’la, A., Zamzami, M., Udin, N. H. W., & Aniq, A. F. (2018). Islamism in Madura from Religious Symbolism to Authoritarianism. Journal of Indonesian Islam, 12(2), 159–194. https://doi.org/10.15642/JIIS.2018.12.2.159-194
Alatas, I. F. (2021). What is Religious Authority?: Cultivating Islamic Communities in Indonesia. Princeton University Press.
Al‐Haddad, M. (2024). Facilitating International Medical Graduates’ Acculturation: from Theory to Practice. Medical Education, 58(1), 136-148. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.15175
Amal, M. K. (2020). Anti-Shia Mass Mobilization in Indonesia’s Democracy: Godly Alliance, Militant Groups, and the Politics of Exclusion. Indonesian Journal of Islam and Muslim Societies, 10(1), 25–48. https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v10i1.25-48
Autesserre, S. (2017). International Peacebuilding and Local Success: Assumptions and Effectiveness. International Studies Review, 19(1), 114-132. https://doi.org/10.1093/isr/viw054
Azra, A. (2021). A Hadhrami Religious Scholar in Indonesia: Sayyid ʿUthmān. In Hadhrami Traders, Scholars and Statesmen in the Indian Ocean, 1750s-1960s, 249-263. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004491946_020
Brehony, N. (2017). Hadhramaut and its Diaspora: Yemeni Politics, Identity and Migration. In Hadhramaut and its Diaspora: Yemeni Politics, Identity and Migration. https://dokumen.pub/hadhramaut-and-its-diaspora-yemeni-politics-identity-and-migration-9781350986671-9781786731678.html
Bujra, A. S. (1967). Political Conflict and Stratification in Hadramaut — I. Middle Eastern Studies, 3(4), 355-375. https://doi.org/10.1080/00263206708700083
Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing Grounded Theory. http://digital.casalini.it/9781446297223
Charmaz, K., & Thornberg, R. (2021). The pursuit of quality in grounded theory. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 18(3), 305-327. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2020.1780357
Darwis, M. (2013). Harmoni dan Disharmoni Sosial Etnis di Perkotaan. SOCIUS: Jurnal Sosiologi, 14, 9-40.
De Jonge, H. (2021). Dutch Colonial Policy Pertaining to Hadhrami Immigrants. In Hadhrami Traders, Scholars and Statesmen in the Indian Ocean, 1750s-1960s, (pp. 94-111). https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004491946_010
De Jonge, H. (2022). In Search of Identity: The Hadhrami Arabs in the Netherlands East Indies and Indonesia (1900-1950). In Leiden Studies in Islam and Society, 14. Brill.
De Jonge, H. (2023). Abdul Rahman Baswedan and the Emancipation of the Hadhramis in Indonesia. In Search of Identity. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004522282_005
Dodi, L. (2021). The Hidden Resolution Approach by Madurese Ulama as A Community-Based Model of Religious Conflict Prevention and Resolution. Al-Tahrir: Jurnal Pemikiran Islam, 21(2), 285-314. https://doi.org/10.21154/altahrir.v21i2.2685
Elfia, Shalihin, N., Surwati, Fajri, Y., & Rahmat, A. (2024). Institutionalizing maqāsid h}ifz al-nas}l within the Minangkabau inheritance framework. Ijtihad: Jurnal Wacana Hukum Islam Dan Kemanusiaan, 24(2), 193–222. https://doi.org/10.18326/IJTIHAD.V24I2.193-222
Elie, S. D. (2010). The graves of Tarim: Genealogy and Mobility Across the Indian Ocean - By Ho, Engseng. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 16, 164-208. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9655.2009.01604_10.x
Fakihudin, R. (2023). Formulation of Public Policy Based on Islamic Legal Studies as a Solution in the Contemporary Era. Contemporary Issues on Interfaith Law and Society, 2(2), 161–186. https://doi.org/10.15294/ciils.v2i2.68868
Farid Alatas, S. (2021). Hadhramaut and the Hadhrami Diaspora: Problems in Theoretical History. In Hadhrami Traders, Scholars and Statesmen in the Indian Ocean, 1750s-1960s, (pp. 19-34). https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004491946_005
Faruq, A. (2021). Al-Pancasila fi al-Mandzûri al-Maqâshidî al-Syar’î: Dirâsah Tahlîliyah. Al-Ihkam: Jurnal Hukum & Pranata Sosial, 16(1), 207–229. https://doi.org/10.19105/al-lhkam.v16i1.5027
Fealy, G. J. (2020). Ulama and politics in Indonesia: A History of Nahdlatul Ulama, 1952-1967. Monash University. Thesis. https://doi.org/10.26180/14874363.v1
Fitriani, M. I. (2023). Islamic Religious Education and Interreligious Tolerance in a Multi-Religious Country: Challenges, Typological Implications, and the Proposed Strategy. Ulumuna, 27(1), 416-448. https://doi.org/10.20414/ujis.v27i1.765
Galtung, J. (2018). Violence, Peace and Peace Research. Organicom, 15(28), 33-56. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2238-2593.organicom.2018.150546
Halili, H. (2019). Politics of Religious Pluralism in Indonesia: State and Future. Advance: Social Sciences & Humanities. https://doi.org/10.31124/advance.7963622.v1
Harisudin, M. N. (2019). Fiqh Nusantara, Pancasila dan Sistem Hukum Nasional di Indonesia. Pustaka Compass.
Hasan, M., Taufiq, M., & Elmhemit, H. (2023). Digital Transformation of Islamic Education in Pesantren Madura. TADRIS: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 18(2), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.19105/tjpi.v18i2.10535
Hilmy, M. (2015). The Political Economy of Sunni-Shi’ah Conflict in Sampang Madura. Al-Jami'ah: Journal of Islamic Studies, 53(1), 27-51. https://doi.org/10.14421/ajis.2015.531.27-51
Ida, R., & Dyson, L. (2015). Konflik Sunni-Syiah dan Dampaknya terhadap Komunikasi Intra-Religius pada komunitas di Sampang-Madura. Masyarakat, Kebudayaan dan Politik, 28(1), 33-49. https://doi.org/10.20473/mkp.v28i12015.33-49
Jacobsen, F. F. (2020). Hadramis in Indonesia: Introduction to Hadrami Communities on the Islands of Java, Bali, Lombok and Sumbawa. In Hadrami Arabs in Present-day Indonesia. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203884614-5
Maarif, A. S., Sinaga, M. M., Mulia, S. M., Hiariej, E., Asfinawati, A., Sudjatmiko, B., Khisniyah, Y., & Pariela, T.D.. (2010). Politik identitas dan Masa Depan Pluralisme Kita. Jakarta: Yayasan Wakaf Paramadina, Pusat Studi Agama dan Demokrasi (PUSAD)
Mac Ginty, R. (2014). Everyday Peace: Bottom-Up and Local Agency in Conflict-Affected Societies. Security Dialogue, 45(6), 548-564. https://doi.org/10.1177/0967010614550899
Mesraini, M., & Yunus, N. R. (2023). Russia’s Legal Policy Against Diaspora Marriages in Muslim Communities. Samarah, 7(3), 1536–1556. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v7i3.18854
Miftahuddin, M., & Abdurahman, D. (2023). Pragmatism-Accommodative Political Patterns of Al-Irsyad During the Reign of President Soekarno, 1945-1965. Journal of Indonesian Islam, 17(1), 189-212. https://doi.org/10.15642/JIIS.2023.17.1.189-212
Mujiburohman, D. A., Junarto, R., Salim, M. N., Pujiriyani, D. W., Utami, W., & Andari, D. T. W. (2023). The Issues of Land Tenure in Mixed Marriage. Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun, 11(1), 19-38. https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v11i1.818
Mujtahidin, M., Mahmud, M., & Nurtamam, M. E. (2017). Peran Nilai Budaya dalam Membentuk Perspektif Toleran dan Intoleran di Madura: Studi Kasus Konflik Sunni-Syiah di Desa Karanggayam Kecamatan Omben Kabupaten Sampang–Madura. Jurnal Pamator: Jurnal Ilmiah Universitas Trunojoyo, 10(2), 122-127. https://journal.trunojoyo.ac.id/pamator/article/view/4146
Naim, N. (2019). Islamic Jurisprudence for Diversity: From Theological-Normative Reason to Progressive Contextual Reasoning. Al-’Adalah, 15(1), 51–72. https://doi.org/10.24042/adalah.v15i1.2621
Nakamura, M. (2023). Nahdlatul Ulama in Indonesia, a New Era with the" New Gus Dur”. Islam Nusantara: Journal for the Study of Islamic History and Culture, 4(1), 19-28. https://doi.org/10.47776/islamnusantara.v4i1.682
Noer, D. (1980). Gerakan Moderen Islam di Indonesia 1900-1942.
Nurhidayat, W. (2024). Al-Irsyad Association and Al-Irsyad Al-Islamiyyah in Islamic Education. Al-Hayat: Journal of Islamic Education, 8(1), 276-286. https://doi.org/10.35723/ajie.v8i1.480
Rasyid, A., Muvid, M. B., Lubis, M. A., & Kurniawan, P. (2022). The Actualization of the Concept of National Fiqh in Building Religious Moderation in Indonesia. Millah: Journal of Religious Studies, 21(2), 433–464. https://doi.org/10.20885/millah.vol21.iss2.art5
Richmond, O. P. (2008). Reclaiming Peace In International Relations. Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 36(3), 439-470. https://doi.org/10.1177/03058298080360030401
Richmond, O. P. (2010). Resistance and the Post-liberal Peace. Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 38(3), 665-692. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305829810365017
Richmond, O. P. (2013). Peace Formation and Local Infrastructures for Peace. Alternatives, 38(4), 271-287. https://doi.org/10.1177/0304375413512100
Richmond, O. P., & Mac Ginty, R. (2015). Where Now for the Critique of the Liberal Peace?. Cooperation and Conflict, 50(2), 171-189. https://doi.org/10.1177/0010836714545691
Rijal, S. (2017). Internal Dynamics within Hadhrami Arabs in Indonesia: From Social Hierarchy to Islamic Doctrine. Journal of Indonesian Islam, 11(1), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.15642/JIIS.2017.11.1.1-28
Rokhmad, A. (2019). The Sunni-Shia Conflict in Madura Indonesia: Judging Individual Faith as Blasphemy. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 27(3): 2081-2097. http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/resources/files/Pertanika%20PAPERS/JSSH%20Vol.%2027%20(3)%20Sep.%202019/44%20JSSH-3758-2018.pdf
Rwandarugali, S., & Ngeta, N. (2022). The Application of Geographical Information Systems to Armed Violent Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding: A Literature Review. South African Journal of Geomatics, 11(2), 234-246. https://doi.org/10.4314/sajg.v11i2.5
Sholihuddin, Muh. (2021). Fiqh Al-Muwatanah: Nahdlatul Ulama’s Interpretation About Citizenship. Millah: Jurnal Studi Agama, 21(1), 149–182. https://doi.org/10.20885/millah.vol21.iss1.art6
Siddiq, A., Imama, L. S., Febriansyah, M., & Hisyam, M. A. (2023). State Failure and The Sunni-Shia Conflict in Sampang Madura. Al-Albab, 12(2), 207-224. https://doi.org/10.24260/alalbab.v12i2.2824
Suaedy, A., Alnizar, F., Ardiantoro, J., & Siroj, S. A. (2023). Language, Authority, and Digital Media: The Impact on the Legitimacy of Fatwas. Ahkam: Jurnal Ilmu Syariah, 23(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.15408/ajis.v23i1.28875
Sumait, M. M. A. B., Al-Aidaros, H. A. H., & Bladram, M. A. S. (2020). The Impact of Indonesian Culture on Hadhrami Community (Language-Cuisine-Dress-Architecture). International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 9(4), 1786-1791.
Suryadi, F., & Puspita, R. (2023). Interfaith Marriage and Its Implications for Children’s Education in Multicultural Families. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Law, 6(2), 37–55. https://doi.org/10.35719/ijil.v6i2.2016
Takdir, M., Munir, F., Ludhfi, A., Muliyanzah, & Muttaqin, Z. (2023). The Takharrūj Method as an Islamic Legal Solution for Customary Inheritance Practices among Muslim Communities in Pakamban Laok, Sumenep, Indonesia. Journal of Islamic Law, 4(1), 104–122. https://doi.org/10.24260/jil.v4i1.1044
Taufiq, M. (2022). Nahdlatul Ulama Fatwas on Politic in Indonesia: Evaluative Maqashid Study [International Islamic University Malaysia]. https://studentrepo.iium.edu.my/entities/publication/302f753b-a007-45a5-8dbd-bd2c75d90946
Taufiq, M. (2023). Fiqh of Civilization : The Consistency of Nahdlatul Ulama ‘ s Political Fatwa Toward a Century Introduction. Proceedings: Annual Conference on Islam, Education, and Humanities, 2, 33–44. https://proceedings.uinkhas.ac.id/index.php/proceedings/article/view/85
Taufiq, M., Faiz, M. F., & Ravaşdeh, Z. (2025). Between Sharia and State: Fatwa Authority and Pandemic Responses in Indonesia, Turkey, and Morocco. De Jure: Jurnal Hukum Dan Syar’iah, 17(1), 377–394. https://doi.org/10.18860/j-fsh.v17i1.31433
Taufiq, M., Harisudin, M. N., & Maimun. (2022). Multi-Track Diplomacy Fiqh of Nahdlatul Ulama in Countering Islamophobia in the Netherlands. Ahkam: Jurnal Ilmu Syariah, 22(2), 287–310. https://doi.org/10.15408/ajis.v22i2.27963
Taufiq, M., Syahidah, J. A., Faiz, M. F., & Hariyanto, E. (2024). Tengka, Identity Politics, and the Fiqh of Civilization: The Authoriy of Madura’s Kiai in the Post-Truth Era. Ijtihad: Jurnal Wacana Hukum Islam Dan Kemanusiaan, 24(1), 139–165. https://doi.org/10.18326/ijtihad.v24i1.139-165
Wain, A. (2018). A History of Islam in Indonesia: Unity in Diversity, by Carool Kersten. Bijdragen tot de taal-, land-en volkenkunde/Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia, 174(4), 498-501. https://doi.org/10.1163/22134379-17404007
Wainscott, A. M. (2018). Religious Regulation as Foreign Policy: Morocco's Islamic Diplomacy in West Africa. Politics and Religion, 11(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1755048317000591
Yaqin, A. (2021). Yūsuf Al-Qarḍāwī's Istinbāṭ Method and Its Implementation in the Moderation of Islamic Law. Al-Ahkam, 31(1), 109-140. https://doi.org/10.21580/ahkam.2021.31.1.7075
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Moh. Syaeful Bahar, Muhammad Taufiq, Muhammad Fauzinudin Faiz, Dodik Harnadi, Abdul Haq Syawqi (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: (1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC-BY-SA) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal; (2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal; (3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website), as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
