Islamic Political Studies: A Study of the Thought Movement Based On Islamic Treasures at Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara

Abstract

This article examines Islamic political thought movements grounded in the Islamic intellectual tradition (turāṡ) at UIN Sumatera Utara (UINSU) as an arena of epistemic contestation between normative texts and contemporary socio-political realities. While existing studies on political Islam in Indonesia predominantly focus on political parties, mass organizations, or large-scale social movements, limited attention has been given to higher Islamic educational institutions as loci of discursive production and intellectual formation. Employing a qualitative case study design, this research draws on in-depth interviews, document analysis, and observations of academic activities to explore how political ideas are constructed, negotiated, and articulated within the university context. The findings reveal that Islamic political thought at UINSU develops across three main typologies: normative-textual, reformist-contextual, and critical-transformative. These typologies share a common reference to the Islamic intellectual heritage but differ in methodological orientation and practical emphasis. Epistemologically, political arguments are constructed through the interaction of textual authority, normative rationalization, and historical contextualization. Classical sources remain central, yet they are reinterpreted through maqāṣid-oriented reasoning and Indonesia’s socio-political experience. The academic environment functions as a deliberative public sphere in which debates on Islam, democracy, and constitutionalism occur through structured and argumentative engagement rather than ideological polarization. This study demonstrates that Islamic higher education institutions play a strategic role in shaping moderate, reflective, and context-sensitive discourses on political Islam. By mediating between religious legitimacy and democratic norms, UINSU contributes to the development of an integrative model of political Islam compatible with Indonesia’s plural and constitutional state framework.