Local consolidation and intra-Muslim coexistence: Nahdlatul Ulama in Klaten Utara, 1998-2024

Abstract

This article examines the local consolidation of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in Klaten Utara from 1998 to 2024 within a religious landscape where Muhammadiyah was perceived as socially influential. Existing studies often approach NU-Muhammadiyah relations through national politics, doctrinal contrast, or institutional rivalry, leaving subdistrict-level coexistence less explored. Using a historical approach, this study draws on organ­izational decrees, circular letters, activity documentation, photographs, and interviews with NU leaders and local residents. The study finds that NU’s local development was shaped through administrative consolidation, ritual visibility, and everyday coexist­ence. Leadership structures and surviving documents strengthened institutional legit­imacy; recurring pengajian, salawatan, mawlid, and musyawarah made NU socially rec­ognizable; while Idulfitri gatherings, neighborhood interaction, and civic cooperation softened organizational boundaries. The article argues that NU’s consolidation in Klaten Utara was not achieved against Muhammadiyah, but through negotiated coex­istence within shared local Muslim life.