Continuity and transformation of Islamic educational institutions in Palembang’s Malay Civilization (1900–Present)
Abstract
Purpose − This study examines the continuity of Islamic educational institutions within the context of Palembang Malay civilization from 1900 to the present. This study aims to analyze the ongoing role of Islamic educational institutions in shaping and preserving Malay Islamic civilization in Palembang through a multitemporal review, from the Dutch colonial era to the contemporary era.
Method − Using historical research methods with a qualitative approach, data were collected through heuristics, source criticism (external and internal), and in-depth interviews with key figures and alumni.
Findings − The research findings indicate a significant shift in the role of Palembang's Islamic educational institutions, from a focus on ideological and cultural resistance during the colonial period to a focus on developing superior human resources today. During the colonial era, Islamic educational institutions served as a bulwark against Westernization, with the curriculum dominated by religious knowledge to instill anti-colonial values. Post-Independence, this role transformed into formal consolidation and institutionalization through state recognition and the establishment of Islamic universities (such as UIN Raden Fatah). Today, Islamic educational institutions firmly integrate religious and general knowledge, with an orientation toward producing professionals with noble character who can compete in the era of globalization. Despite this shift in focus, elements of continuity are found in the commitment of Islamic educational institutions to the fundamental values of wasathiyah (moderate) Islam and the preservation of Malay customs. This ongoing role confirms that Islamic educational institutions are adaptive agents of historical change and guardians of civilizational identity in Palembang.
Downloads
References
Abbas, N., Astoko, D. B., & Rochmawan, A. E. (2024). The Role of Classical Islamic Educational Institutions Before The Emeregence of Madrasah. Juspi: Jurnal Sejarah Peradaban Islam, 8(1), 134-146. https://dx.doi.org/10.30829/juspi.v8i1.19895.
Abdullah, M. (2014). Sejarah Peradaban Islam di Indonesia. Jakarta: Logos Publishing.
Abdurahman, D. (2024). Critical Historical Reconstruction of Islamic Integration in Malay Civilization. International Seminar on Adab and Humanities, (hal. 1-18. http://digilib.uin-suka.ac.id/id/eprint/68979). Palembang.
Abdurrahmansyah. (2020). Pengajaran Islam Di Kesultanan Palembang Abad KE-18 dan 19 M. Palembang: CV. Amanah.
Alkatiri, Z., & Karim Hayaze, N. A. (2022). Critical Literature Study on Habaib Identity in the constellation of Islamic studies in Indonesia from the colonial period to the present . Cogent Arts & Humanities, 9(1), https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.202.
Aravik, H., Hamzani, A. I., Khasanah, N., & Tohir, A. (2024). A Study on The Entry of Islam In Palembang And The Character of Its Society. Jurnal Studi Islam Indonesia (JSII), 2(1), 1–14.
Asmi, A. R., Pahlevi, M. R., & Yunani. (2020). Political Development in Palembang During the Liberal Democracy Era (1951–1959). Proceedings of the 4th Sriwijaya University Learning and Education International Conference (SULE-IC 2020) (hal. 482-490. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201230.151
Azra, A. (2015). Genealogy of Indonesian Islamic Education: Roles in the Modernization of Muslim Society. Heritage of Nusantara: International Journal of Religious Literature and Heritage, 4(1), 85-114. https://doi.org/10.31291/hn.v4i1.63.
Badrun, B. (2024). Enhancing Islamic Education: The Role of Madrasah-Based Management in Islamic Boarding Schools . AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 16(2), 2772-2780. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v16i2.5153
Bahri, R., Rofiqi, Kusaeri, & Rusydiyah, F. (2025). Religious moderation education: a comparative study of Islamic approaches in Indonesia and Malaysia with implications for faith-based education. International Studies in Catholic Education, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/19422539.2025.2519727
Basuni, & Hasan, L. H. (2020). Islamic Inheritance Law in Indonesia: The Experiences of Banjar Women. New South Wales : University of New South Wales (Australia) ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.
Bruinessen, M. v. (2018). Indonesian Muslims in a Globalising World: Westernisation, Arabisation and Indigenising Responses. Singapore: S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
Chairunnisa, & Imawan, D. H. (2025). The Traces of Islamization and Cultural Acculturation in the Sultanate of Palembang. Tamaddun: Jurnal Kebudayaan dan Sastra Islam, 25(1), 26-38. https://doi.org/10.19109/tamaddunuinradenfatah.v25i1.27110
Darmini, A. M. (2021). Internet and the public sphere in the Indonesian Islamic boarding schools (Pondok Pesantren) : power, piety, and the popular. Coventry UK: PhD thesis, University of Warwick.
Fadhilah, J., Rista, V. N., Putria, A. B., Asmara, S. E., & Maryamah. (2024). Nilai-nilai Moderasi Beragama dalam Peradaban Islam Melayu di Palembang. JIIP - Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pendidikan, 7(1), 314-319. https://doi.org/10.54371/jiip.v7i1.3129
Fauzi, M. (2023). The Role of Islamic Education in Shaping Indonesian National Identity. A Qualitative Research, 1-9.
Gusmian, I., & Abdullah, M. (2022). Knowledge Transmission and Kyai-Santri Network in Pesantren in Java Island During the 20th Century: A Study on Popongan Manuscript. Afkar: Jurnal Akidah Dan Pemikiran Islam, 24(1), 159–190. https://doi.org/10.22452/afkar.vol24no1.5
Hadler, J. (2008). Muslims and Matriarchs: Cultural Resilience in Indonesia Through Jihad and Colonialism. New York: Cornell University Press.
Kumral, M. A. (2025). Reimagining Redemptive-Resistance Movements: Transactive Engagements, Altruistic Sacrifices, and Sanctified Solidarities. Quantum-Social Investigations across Transnational Movements, 271–328. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-72680-4_8
Maidugu, U. A., & Isah, A. T. (2014). Islamic Education and its Value: A Vital Means for the Formation National Character. Bulletin of Islamic Research, 2(4), 725-737. https://doi.org/10.69526/bir.v2i4.165
Mansur, A. (2015). Peradaban Melayu dan Pengaruh Islam di Indonesia. Jakarta: Jakarta: Pustaka Alvabet.
Marsuki, Sumbulah, U., & Syaifuddin, H. (2024). The Network of Middle Eastern and Archipelagic Sufi Scholars: Tracing the Dynamics of Sufism Development in Indonesia. Teosofia: Indonesian Journal of Islamic Mysticism, 13(2), 355–376. https://doi.org/10.21580/tos.v13i2.19064
Marwan, M., & Alamsyah, A. (2024). Building Social Construction and Tolerance In Customary Communication Law Communities (Study of Local Wisdom of Malay Tribes). Journal of Law, Politic and Humanities, 4(4), 666–675. https://doi.org/10.38035/jlph.v4i4.405
Mawangir, M. (2015). Modernization Of Islamic “Surau” Traditional Education In West Sumatera, Indonesia. Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture, 3(2), 28-38. http://dx.doi.org/10.15640/jisc.v3n2a4
Me, A. E., Hartiwiningsih, H., & Supanto, S. (2023). The Efforts of Islamic Boarding Schools to Protect Their Constitutional Rights in the Face of Beleidsregel: An Analysis of Policy Dynamics in Indonesia. Proceedings of the International Conference On Law, Economic & Good Governance (IC-LAW 2023) https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-218-7_55 .
Monady, H., Hasan, M., & Sagir, A. (2025). Building Hadith Authority: the Pioneering Role of Malay Archipelago Scholars. Al-Bayan: Journal of Qur'an and Hadith Studies, 23(1), 73-100. https://doi.org/10.1163/22321969-20250167.
Muchtar, A., & Firdaus, A. (2017). Perkembangan Ortodoksi Islam di Palembang Hingga Awal Abad XX. Jurnal Ilmu Agama: Mengkaji Doktrin, Pemikiran, dan Fenomena Agama, 8(2), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.19109/jia.v18i2.2359
Muchtar, A., Ari, A. W., Zain, Z. F., & Firdaus, A. (2024). Efforts of Arab and Chinese Ethnic Groups in Maintaining Their Cultural Identity in a Malay-Muslim Environment in Palembang. Tribakti: Jurnal Pemikiran Keislaman, 35(2), 281-302. https://doi.org/10.33367/tribakti.v35i2.5877.
Musaddad, A. (2023). Transformation of Islamic Boarding Schools as Islamic Education Institutions in Indonesia. Journal of Islamic Education Research, 4(1), 73–82. https://doi.org/10.35719/jier.v4i1.319
Niswah, C., Denuyasa, A., Triagusman, A. M., & Hanapi, A. (2025). Lembaga Pendidikan Islam Indonesia: Investasi Masa Depan Umat Islam. JIIC: Jurnal Intelek Insan Cendikia, 6(2), 1-15.
Nurazizah, E., Astria, G., & Faelasup, &. F. (2025). Sejarah Perkembangan Pendidikan Islam di Nusantara: Studi Literatur Tentang Pondok Pesantren dan Madrasah. Jurnal Miftahul Ilmi: Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam , 2(3), 117–131. https://doi.org/10.59841/miftahulilmi.v2i3.161.
Rasyid, A., Lubis, R. F., & & Saleh, I. (2024). Contestation of Customary Law and Islamic Law in Inheritance Distribution: A Sociology of Islamic Law Perspective . Al-Ahkam, 34(2), 419–448. https://doi.org/10.21580/ahkam.2024.34.2.20843.
Rochmiatun, E., Maryam, M., & Gusela, N. (2023). The impact of the Palembang war and Dutch colonial domination on socio-economic changes in Palembang in the XIX-XX century. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 10(1), https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2188775.
Rofiq, A., Niswah, C., Bety, Maryam, & Abdullah, R. (2025). The Arabs in Early Palembang Darussalam Sultanate: The History and Implication. Tsaqafah: Jurnal Peradaban Islam, 21(1), 293-315. https://doi.org/10.21111/tsaqafah.v21i1.13786
Rohmadi, Fadil, A., & Zain, Z. F. (2025). The Ngobeng Tradition in Palembang: Implementing Local Wisdom and Religious Moderation in Multicultural Education to Achieve Social Harmony. Muslim Heritage, 10(1), 31-51. https://doi.org/10.21154/muslimheritage.v10i1.10874.
Romdhoni, M. F. (2020). Historical Evolution of Placemaking in Historic City of Palembang, Indonesia. International Journal of Built Environment and Scientific Research, 4(2), 85-100. https://doi.org/10.24853/ijbesr.4.2.85-100
Sabila, A., Arifin, S., & Humaidi, M. (2024). Islamic Boarding School in the Trajectory of Indonesian History: Origins, Characteristics, and Policy Dynamics. Al-Hayat: Journal of Islamic Education, 8(1), 45-58. https://doi.org/10.35723/ajie.v8i1.440
Safitri, E., Alkhowarizmi, A., Luthfi, R., Putri, N., & Fazriani, E. (2025). Maintaining Traditions in the Midst of the Current Era: Adaptive Strategies of Islamic Boarding Schools to Modernization. Jurnal Studi Sosial Keagamaan Syekh Nurjati, 5(1), 98-116.
Sajidah, A. A., Anindya, S., Khadafiah, H., Umam, B. H., & Maryamah. (2025). Peran Pendidikan Agama Islam Dalam Membentuk Identitas Budaya Melayu Di Madrasah. MODELING: Jurnal Program Studi PGMI, 12(1), 419–425. https://doi.org/10.69896/modeling.v12i1.2803
Sitanggang, H., Fatonah, Nurhayati, & Pardede, Y. (2023). Peranan Adat Melayu dalam Membangun Identitas Budaya. Prosiding Seminar Nasional Humaniora. 3, hal. 16–25. Jambi: Universitas Jambi.
Soleh, M. (2020). KH. Abu Bakar Bastari Peran terhadap Perkembangan Islam di Palembang (1925-1971). Medina-Te, 16(1), 27-42. https://doi.org/10.19109/medinate.v16i1.4651
Subagya, Y. T. (2015). Support for ethno-religious violence in Indonesia. Yogyakarta: Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Subijanto, & Kartikasari, R. (2016). Media of Resistance: A Communication History of the Communist Movement in the Dutch East Indies, 1920-1926. Colorado: University of Colorado.
Suradi, A. (2022). The Social, Political, and Cultural Perspective of Islamic Education in Palembang Malay: A Continuous Evaluation from the Dutch Colonial Period to Today. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 9(3), 56-71. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/1200
Upal, M. A., & Cusack, C. M. (2021). Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements. Leiden: Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004435544
Uri, F., Riadi, H., Suprapto, M., & Rajuna. (2025). Islamic-Based Characteristics: Malay Community Model and Education Pattern. Edunesia : Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan, 6(2), 965–976. https://doi.org/10.51276/edu.v6i2.1206.
Yeo, W. (2012). Palembang in the 1950s: The Making and Unmaking of a Region. Washington: Department of History University of Washington.
Zakir, S. . (2023). Policy Coordination on Transportation Infrastructure Development in Palembang City. KnE Social Sciences, 8(17), 717–729. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v8i17.14172
Copyright (c) 2026 Nurfitria Dewi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- 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 acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
