This study examines the ideological orientation of the Madurese Ulama Alliance (AUMA), the history of its emergence, and the dynamics of its development within the religious landscape of Madura. This study argues that AUMA combines traditionalism and conservatism by upholding local Islamic traditions, while simultaneously adopting a strict normative stance to define the boundaries of Islamic teachings in order to claim religious authority in Madura. Using an ethnographic approach, this study shows that AUMA’s ideology in Madura reflects hybrid traditionalist-conservative orientation. It is firmly rooted in the preservation of local Islamic traditions, while also maintaining a strict in shaping public morality. AUMA emerged due to internal dynamics with NU and BASSRA, particularly differing perspectives in responding to socio-religious issues in Madura. AUMA spreads its ideology through various channels such as pesantren, religious literature, and social media in a systematic and structured manner. In addition, AUMA maintains its ideology through various efforts, including being responsive to socio-religious issues, strengthening ulama networks, and utilizing local culture as a means of sustaining its ideology. This study also finds that AUMA’s ideology is influenced by several factors, religious motivation is the central factor that drives its continuity in Madura. This religious drive aligns with the highly religious character of Madurese society, enabling its acceptance and continuity. However, its ideological impact is ambivalent, as it both strengthens social cohesion and religious identity while also fostering exclusivism and fragmentation of Islamic organization. This study contributes to the understanding of ideological contestation by demonstrating how religious norms are negotiated by religious actors within local contexts in contemporary Indonesia.

Keywords: Anti-communism, Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah, Political Reconciliation, Ideology, Power relation, Post-Soeharto

Shofiatul Jannah is an activist at Rahima, Central Java, Indonesia, focusing on gender and women’s empowerment. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Tafsir Hadith Studies from Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta and a master’s degree in Qur’an and Sunnah Studies from the International Islamic University Malaysia. She has published articles in national and international journals.