PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

In West Sumatra, radicalism does not develop and even tends to decease because of the self-defense system of the local society, in the form of the religious and socio-cultural system that arises from the doctrine, values and teachings of Islam practised by the Tarekat community. The study aims to understand the conceptual world of the Tarekat community faith towards radicalism and to explain the struggle of radical idealism in the midst of the dynamics of the religious Tarekat culture in West Sumatra. This research uses the descriptive-phenomenological approach. Focus group discussion was first conducted with the teachers (mursyid) and members of the Tarekat congregation followed by in-depth interviews with the teachers and members of the congregation. Observation was made to examine the socio-cultural conditions of the Tarekat community surrounding their activities in relation to their religious teachings and ideals. This study found that firstly, the fusion of Tarekat teachings with the Minangkabau culture was not conducive to the rise of radical idealism in West Sumatra; secondly, the resilience of Tarekat religious culture and the local wisdom of the Minangkabau prevented radicalism from taking root in the Tarekat community, thus reducing conflict, and; thirdly, the opposition of the Tarekat to radicalism seen in its practice of dakwah culture, has shaped its lifestyle and response to the world.