RESPONS SALAFI TERHADAP PENANGANAN COVID-19 DAN DOKTRIN KETAATAN KEPADA PEMERINTAH

The handling of the Covid-19 pandemic by the Indonesian government has generated various responses from the public. Of the various responses, there are more negative responses that emerged from conservative Muslims. They do not comply with the established policies and assess that the government's performances are poor. Previous studies had revealed that it occurred due to religious polarization during the election period which impacts how they behave. Conservative Muslim groups, who at that time became Jokowi's opposition, tended to give a negative response to the government's policies in dealing with the outbreak. Departing from those studies, this study tries to see how the Salafis, as a variant of conservative Muslims, respond to government policies. This study focuses on Purist Salafis who are known to uphold the doctrine of obedience to the ruler and are known as apolitical as well. This study aims to answer several questions based on online and field data through case studies in Salafi boarding schools and mosques: (a) how do Salafis respond to the government’s policies in dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak? (b) are those responses related to religious polarization during the election? (c) to what extent does the doctrine of obedience to the ruler determine the responses? This study shows that although Salafis were involved in religious polarization during the previous election period, it did not determine their attitude in responding to the government's policies during the pandemic. Several aspects such as the principle of obedience to the ruler, awareness about the danger of Covid-19, submission to the Islamic doctrine and the socio-political context, are taken into consideration by Salafis in taking a stand on government calls and policies. Paradoxically, in practice, it is not because of the doctrine of obedience or those other aspects that make them comply with the calls and policies. In the case of mosques and Islamic boarding schools, the attitude of Salafi leaders to existing policies tends to determine how the congregation participates in acting and implementing health protocols then. The decision of the Salafi congregation to receive the Covid-19 vaccine is based on the legitimacy of the MUI and the narratives of Salafi leaders who also work as doctors.The handling of the Covid-19 pandemic by the Indonesian government has generated various responses from the public. Of the various responses, there are more negative responses that emerged from conservative Muslims. They do not comply with the established policies and assess that the government's performances are poor. Previous studies had revealed that it occurred due to religious polarization during the election period which impacts how they behave. Conservative Muslim groups, who at that time became Jokowi's opposition, tended to give a negative response to the government's policies in dealing with the outbreak. Departing from those studies, this study tries to see how the Salafis, as a variant of conservative Muslims, respond to government policies. This study focuses on Purist Salafis who are known to uphold the doctrine of obedience to the ruler and are known as apolitical as well. This study aims to answer several questions based on online and field data through case studies in Salafi boarding schools and mosques: (a) how do Salafis respond to the government’s policies in dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak? (b) are those responses related to religious polarization during the election? (c) to what extent does the doctrine of obedience to the ruler determine the responses? This study shows that although Salafis were involved in religious polarization during the previous election period, it did not determine their attitude in responding to the government's policies during the pandemic. Several aspects such as the principle of obedience to the ruler, awareness about the danger of Covid-19, submission to the Islamic doctrine and the socio-political context, are taken into consideration by Salafis in taking a stand on government calls and policies. Paradoxically, in practice, it is not because of the doctrine of obedience or those other aspects that make them comply with the calls and policies. In the case of mosques and Islamic boarding schools, the attitude of Salafi leaders to existing policies tends to determine how the congregation participates in acting and implementing health protocols then. The decision of the Salafi congregation to receive the Covid-19 vaccine is based on the legitimacy of the MUI and the narratives of Salafi leaders who also work as doctors