The Waning Role of Local Religious Authority: A Study of Buatulo Syara’a in Gorontalo Province

Abstract

Religious authority, whether in the form of individuals or institutions, has a huge influence on the behaviour of religious communities. This research discusses the role of Buatulo Syara’a as an institution holding local religious authority in the lives of Muslims in Gorontalo Province. Buatulo Syara’a is led by a Kadli (Qadi'), and is one of three institutions in the Gorontalo traditional government system called Buatulo Toulongo. The other two institutions; Buatulo Bubato (government institution), and Buatulo Bate (customary institution). The research method is qualitative, data is collected through observation and interview. Using Weber’s three variants of authority perspective, this study found that the waning role of Buatulo Syara’a as a local religious authority institution in Gorontalo is found in the realm of traditional authority and charismatic authority. In the traditional authority, Buatulo Syara’a has been displaced by the role of new religious authorities such as religious mass organisations and the emergence of the internet as a forum for knowledge search and distribution of religious values that do not only rely on certain authorities. In the realm of charismatic authority, quite a lot of Gorontalo people no longer recognise the role of Buatulo Syara’a. The existence of Buatulo Syara’a which began to fade in the socio-cultural reasoning of Gorontalo people indirectly resulted in the fading role of Buatulo Syara’a as an institution of religious authority. The realm of legal-rational authority is the only thing that makes the existence of Buatulo Syara’a still survive. The legitimacy of the existence of Buatulo Syara’a is limited to being appointed and receiving a decree from the regional leader, in this case the mayor and regent. Buatulo Syara’a then performs activities in government-owned mosques, such as the Masjid Agung at the regency/city level, the Masjid Besar at the sub-district level, and the Masjid Jami’ at the village level.