Adapting Indonesian Islam to the Gulf : an ethnographic study of Indonesian Imams in Qatar

The research studies how Indonesian Islam adapts itself to the Gulf religious context. The main question asked is how do Indonesian Imams - with diverse backgrounds and interpretations of Islam - adapt and renegotiate their religious identities after migrating into the Salafi-based cultural and religious context of Qatar? I argue that instead of fully adapt or reaffirm their religious identities both the Nahaliyyin and the Salafists Imams are indeed caught in a 'maze' of the Qatari religious context resulting in their indecisive agency. A common perspective on the Salafi-ness of the Gulf religious context, as I proceed, hardly applies to the Qatari context that is constantly changing. Salafism in the Qatari context is arguably an unresolved reality. This research expects to contribute and fill the gap currently exists in the interaction between two Islamic cultures and migration studies.