An Analysis Of Islamic Liberalism Found In Michael Muhammad Kinght’s Novel :The Taqwacores

AN ANALYSIS OF ISLAMIC LIBERALISM FOUND IN MICHAEL MUHAMMAD KINGHT’S
NOVEL :THE TAQWACORES

A THESIS
BY
RYAN SYAHPUTRA
REG. NO. 100705109

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
FACULTY OF CULTURAL STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF SUMATERA UTARA
MEDAN 2015

AN ANALYSIS OF ISLAMIC LIBERALISM FOUND IN MICHAEL MUHAMMAD KINGHT’S
NOVEL :THE TAQWACORES

A THESIS

BY
RYAN SYAHPUTRA
REG. NO. 100705109


SUPERVISOR

CO. SUPERVISOR

Dr. Siti Norma Nasution, M. Hum
NIP. 19570720 198303 2 001

Drs. SiamirMarulafau, M. Hum
NIP. 19580517 198503 1 003

Submitted to Faculty of Cultural Studies University of Sumatra Utara Medan in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of SarjanaSastra from Department of
English

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
FACULTY OF CULTURAL STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF SUMATERA UTARA
MEDAN 2015


Approved by the Department of English, Faculty of Cultural Studies University of
Sumatera Utara (USU) Medan as thesis for The SarjanaSastra Examination.

Head,

Dr. H. MuhizarMuchtar, M.S
NIP. 19541117 198003 1 002

Secretary,

RahmadsyahRangkuti, MA.Ph.D
NIP. 19750209 200812 1 002

Accepted by the Board of Examiners in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of
SarjanaSastra from the Department of English, Faculty of Cultural Studies University of
Sumatera Utara, Medan.

The examination is held in Department of English Faculty of Cultural Studies University of
Sumatera Utara on Monday, July 13th, 2015


Dean of Faculty of Cultural Studies
University of Sumatera Utara

Dr. H. SyahronLubis, MA
NIP.19511013 197603 1 001

Board of examiners

Dr. H. MuhizarMuchtar, MS.

………………………………

RahmadsyahRangkuti, M.A., Ph.D.

………………………………

Dr. Siti Norma Nasution, M. Hum.

………………………………


Dr. Martha Pardede, M.S.

………………………………

AUTHORS’S DECLARATION

I, RYAN SYAHPUTRA, DECLARE THAT I AM THE SOLE AUTHOR OF THIS
THESIS EXCEPT WHERE REFERENCE IS MADE IN THE TEXT OF THIS THESIS.
THIS

THESIS

CONTAINS

NO

MATERIAL

PUBLISHED ELSEWHERE


OR

EXTRACTED IN WHOLE OR IN PART FROM A THESIS BY WHICH I HAVE
QUALIFIED FOR OR AWARDED ANOTHER DEGREE. NO OTHER PERSON’S
WORK HAS BEEN USED WITHOUT DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IN THE MAIN
TEXT OF THIS THESIS. THIS THESIS HAS NOT SUBMITTED FOR THE AWARD
OF ANOTHER DEGREE IN ANY TERTIARY EDUCATION.

Signed :
Date

:July13th, 2015

COPYRIGHT DECLARATION

NAME

: RYAN SYAHPUTRA

TITLE OF THESIS :


AN

ANALYSIS

MICHAEL

OFISLAMIC

MUHAMMAD

LIBERALISM

KNIGHT’S

FOUND

IN

NOVEL


:THE

AVAILABLE

FOR

TAQWACORES
QUALIFICATION : S1/SARJANA SASTRA
DEPARTEMENT

I

AM

: ENGLISH

WILLING

THAT


MY

THESIS

SHOULD

BE

REPRODUCTION AT THE DISCRETION OF THE LIBRARIAN OF DEPARTMENT
OF ENGLISH, FACULTY OF CULTURAL STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF SUMATERA
UTARA ON THE UNDERSTANDING THAT USERS ARE MADE AWARE OF THEIR
OBLIGATION UNDER THE LAW OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA.

Signed :
Date

:July 13th, 2015

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.
Alhamdulillah, all the praises be to Allah SWT, God Almighty, Shalawat is sent to the
noble Prophet, Muhammad SAW.
First of all, I would like to thank to Allah SWT, God of the universe, for all the blessings
and the rahmah so I can complete my thesis. Every obstacle I faced is the guidance to make me
stronger and more grateful.
My special gratitude are given to my parents, my brother, and my grandmother who
always support me in all aspects to finished my gratitude.
And I would like to thank to all friends and people I met, Saut, Misnok, Frenky, Lintong,
Ical Hajoram, Eri Gendut, Bang Alpin, Bang Jarot, Bang Am, Dedad, Ibet, Ibet’s Laptop,
Benhard, Yasir Keju Naibaho, Moti, Habil, Munardi, Erik, Ical AlahBoy, Aldy Kibo, Hendrik,
Dodi Jawa, Dodi Laptop, Babe, Andi Ambon, Bima, Seno, Azri Aceh, Musbar, Anmar Bajuri,
IMSI, Mastur and others friend that I can’t mention one by one. Thanks for being peace and
awesome.
Finally, I realize this thesis is still far from being perfect and I welcome constructive
criticism and suggestion.
The Writer

Ryan Syahputra


ABSTRACT

The title of this thesis isAn Analysis of Islamic Liberalism Found in Michael Muhammad
Knight's Novel: The Taqwacores. In this thesis, the writer tries to analyze the Islamic Liberalism
which reflected in the novel The Taqwacores written by Michael Muhammad Knight. The
analysis aims to explain the Liberal Ideology in Islam that makes man, especially Muslims
become more freely to lives in their religious beliefs that based on their own interpretation in this
novel.
In analyzing, the method that the writer used in this thesis is descriptive analysis method
that aims to describe the phenomenon of Islamic Liberalism in the novel The Taqwacores. It
contains depictions of interpretation then analyzed based on realdata in the novel.
Keywords : Islamic Liberalism, Liberalism, Sociology of Literature

ABSTRAK

Skripsi ini berjudul An Analysis of Islamic Liberalism Found in Michael Muhammad
Knight's Novel : The Taqwacores. Di dalam skripsi ini, penulis mencoba untuk menganalisis
Liberalisme Islam yang terdapat dalam novel The Taqwacores yang ditulis oleh Michael
Muhammad Knight. Analisis ini bertujuan untuk menjelaskan tentang ideologi liberal dalam

islam yang membuat manusia, khususnya muslim menjadi lebih bebas dalam menjalani
kepercayaannya berdasarkan interpretasinya sendiri di dalam novel ini.
Dalam menganalisis, adapun metode yang digunakan penulis dalam skripsi ini adalah
metode analisis deskriptif yang bertujuan menggambarkan fenomena Liberalisme Islam dari
novel The Taqwacores. Penggambaran ini memuat interpretasi yang kemudian dianalisis
berdasarkan data yang ada pada novel.
Kata kunci : Islam Liberal, Liberalisme, Sosiologi Sastra

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AUTHOR’S DECLARATION

v

COPYRIGHT DECLARATION

vi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

vii

ABSTRACT

iix

ABSTRAK

ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS

x

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the Study……………………………………….1
1.2. Problem of the Study…………………………………………...6
1.3. Objective of the Study………………………………………….6
1.4. Scope of the Study……………………………………………...6
1.5. Significance of the Study ............................................................7
1.6. Method of the Study…………………………………………....7
1.7. Review of Literature……………………………………………8
CHAPTER II: THEORITICAL REVIEW
2.1. Literature……………………………………………………….10
2.2. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Elements………………………………..12
2.2.1. Intrinsic Element: Characterization…………………..12
2.2.2. Extrinsic Element: Literature and Sociology………...14

2.3. Postmodernism…………………………………………………15
2.4. Islamic Liberalism……………………………………………...17
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY
3.1. Collecting Data...........................................................................23
3.2. Selecting Data………………………………………………….24
3.3. Analyzing Data………………………………………………...24
3.4. Data and Source of Data……………………………………….25
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS
4.1. Characteristics Of Islamic Liberalism In The Taqwacores…….28
4.1.1. Believing that truth is relative, open for
interpretations and plural……………………………..28
4.1.2. Believing in the freedom to practice
religious beliefs………………………………………34
4.2. How the lives of the community with the ideology in
The Taqwacores………………………………………………..41
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
5.1 Conclusion………………………………………………………47
5.2 Suggestion ……………………………………………………....50
REFERENCES
APPENDICES