KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 — For Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country, the concept of "Islam Nusantara” has played a crucial multi-faceted role in helping suppress Islamic radicalisation.

But most importantly, the concept — coined by the later former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid or popularly knows as Gus Dur — has helped circumvent the cultural threat that comes with radical Islam.

What makes Islam Nusantara effective ammunition against extremists is its identity, which forms the concept's core ideology.

Abdurrahman's daughter, Alissa Wahid, who is now carrying on her father's legacy in promoting Islam Nusantara, explained that the politics of identity help drive recruitment for extreme groups.

This means it is crucial that moderates prevent hardliners from monopolising the discourse on identity.

"But in the context of Indonesia it gives a sense of belonging, a sense of identity because one of the key strategies of the hardliners is identity politics; like, if you are a Muslim, you have to do this and this.

"Now the Islam Nusantara gives them a sense of identity that gives the people or common public the power to say 'I am different from Saudi Muslim and it's okay',” she told Malay Mail Online after giving a talk on extremism here.

Islam Nusantara is founded on four principles: moderation, tolerance or openness, balance or justice, and the moral uprightness. These principles are adopted from Islam itself.

But Alissa said adopting Islamic values does not mean one must also adopt Arabic culture wholesale.

And the idea of Islam Nusantara — with the emphasis on "nusantara”, a term to describe not only the Indonesian and Malaysian archipelago, but of its polity and civilisations — helps Indonesians understand that indigenous Muslims have moulded Islam to suit local custom for over a hundred years.

"These are the values that have been instilled or promoted from the beginning of 20th century Indonesia which makes (us) different from the kind of Islam of a homogeneous society (Arab),” she said.

The concept has seen success, Alissa said. In traditional Indonesian communities, many felt the imitation of Arabic culture and identity to be alien.

This rejection of Arabic cultural appropriation have also translated in the rejection against any of the more extreme sect of the religion espoused by those from the Middle East like Wahabbism or Salafism.

"We are saying more and more groups who are willing to step up and organise meetings to strengthen these values. This is the kind of counter narratives that we want to establish,” she said.

Malaysia, which is dealing with its own threat of Islamic extremism, is aware of Islam Nusantara's success.

Local moderate Muslim NGOs like Sisters in Islam or Islamic Renaissance Front are trying hard to promote discourse on the Malay identity to encourage the community to look back into its own history, and understand that they also practised Islam that was unique to their culture.

Without state backing, the idea has not gone beyond discussions at forums or closed-door dialogues. But Alissa said this is to be expected. To use identity to combat extremism must begin with the community itself.

"They need to own their identity as a Muslim, but most importantly as a Malay. It should not be separated,” she said.

Hardline Muslims reportedly set police cars ablaze and injured several officers, marring an otherwise peaceful rally in Jakarta, Indonesia, yesterday against Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a Chinese Christian better known as Ahok, who was accused of insulting Islam.