Congregational Morning Prayer Movement: A Political Movement or a Spiritual Movement?

Abstract

The congregational morning prayer movement in Indonesia aims to promote the importance of prayer and build a sense of community among Muslims. However, the emergence of the phenomenon of the morning prayer movement in the congregation occurred ahead of the North Sumatra Governor Election in Medan City, Indonesia. It is important to understand how the morning prayer movement in congregation is a spiritual movement or an identity politics movement. This study used a qualitative research method with a desk research approach. Primary data were obtained from reports, documents, websites, and various sources from previous studies. Analysis techniques were through data reduction, data presentation becomes conclusion. The study results show that the morning prayer movement in congregation gathers a spiritual momentum capable of moving individuals to form a brotherhood and to thus forge unity. This movement encourages the emergence of views about individual involvement capable of building emotional closeness, which is the culmination of human relations. In political situations, this movement is used as a method of approach to building emotional brotherhood and unity in building realizing political goals. Regional head candidate pairs make this movement a form of presenting themselves as leaders with emotional closeness towards Muslims. The intensity of carrying out the morning prayer movement in the congregation can influence one’s decision to choose. It must be admitted that identity political sentiment through the morning prayer movement in the congregation has clearly had a broad impact on social and political life in Indonesia.