"Mathla'ul Anwar, which was founded in 1916 by a group of Bantenese kiyai, has transformed itself from a merely rural movement (
kampung or
desa) into a more urban (
kota) organization. In the late 1950s branches were established in three provinces and in the 1990s there were more than one hundred of branches at the district level in 24 out of 27 existing provinces in the country. Its supporters refer to this transformation with the saying "
Ayam Kampung Masuk Kota" (Farm Chiken comes to the City). Close observation shows that these remarkable changes within Mathla'ul Anwar were very much related to the ways in which it reacted to and negotiated with the ongoing circumstances in Indonesia, as well as its continual efforts to construct and re-construct its religious identity, finally to place itself prominently at the national level. This extensive transformation took place in various ways, including adoption, accomodation and affiliation. Nevertheless, mathla'ul Anwar was faced with several challenges during these changes as well. Internal rivalries, opposition, resistance and even separatist movements conducted by some elements of its members colored almost every stage of its developments."
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