The Abangan are Javanese people who are Muslims and practice a much more syncretic version of Islam than the more orthodox santri. The term, apparently derived from the Javanese language word for red, abang, was first developed by Clifford Geertz, but the meaning has since shifted. Abangan are more inclined to follow a local system of beliefs called adat and Kebatinan than pure Sharia (Islamic law). Their belief system integrates Hinduism, Buddhism and animism. However, some scholars hold that what has classically been viewed as Indonesian variance from Islam is often a part of that faith in other countries. For example, Martin van Bruinessen notes similarity between adat and historical practice among Muslims in Egypt as described by Edward Lane.
Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66
Many Abangans were supporters of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI), and their interests were thus supported by the PKI. They subsequently made up most of the people who were slaughtered in the anti-Communist Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66. Abangans were targeted for attacks by Ansor, the youth wing of Nahdlatul Ulama and the Santri with help from the Indonesian Army. To avoid being classified as atheist and communists, Abangan Muslims were forced by the Indonesian government to convert to Hinduism and Christianity in the aftermath of the slaughter.
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Priyayi (former spelling: Prijaji) was the Dutch-era class of the nobles of the robe, as opposed to royal nobility or ningrat (Javanese), in Java, Indonesia. Priyayi is a Javanese word originally denoting the descendants of the adipati or governors, the first of whom were appointed in the 17th century by the Sultan Agung of Mataram to administer the principalities he had conquered. Initially court officials in pre-colonial kingdoms, the priyayi moved into the colonial civil service and then on to administrators of the modern Indonesian republic.
In Indonesia, santri is a term for someone who follows Islamic religious education in pesantren (Islamic boarding schools). Santri usually stay in the place until their education is complete. After completing their study period, some of them will serve the pesantren by becoming administrators. According to C.C. Berg, the term "santri" comes from Sanskrit shastri which means "one who learns Hindu scriptures"; it has the same root as the word shastra (literature).
Islam is the largest religion in Indonesia, with 86.7% of the Indonesian population identifying themselves as Muslim in a 2018 survey. Indonesia is the most populous Muslim-majority country, with approximately 231 million adherents. In terms of denomination, the overwhelming majority are Sunni Muslims, Pew Research Center estimating them as ~99% of the Muslim population in 2011, with the remaining 1% being Shia who are concentrated around Jakarta and about 400,000 Ahmadi Muslims as well.