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Islam, Democracy and Human Rights in Contemporary Indonesia61personality of Natsir within two Indonesian contexts: the colonialand the independent periods. Nevertheless, to some extent, thisrestriction will reach a generalization about the dynamiccharacteristic of the Islamic religious doctrines which wrestlewith social transformation. This article proves that IndonesianIslam is dynamic because it is always involved in an ongoingprocess of social change. Indeed, for its adherents, religion isnot merely an eschatological belief. Definite and universalreligious doctrines must not be ignorant in facing changes; theyhave to provide answers and pose challenges. However, as theinitial answer is given and the challenge is launched, newrealities will generate new problems, which in turn require newanswers. Firstly, this article will describe Natsir%u2019s activism first,to understand the historical setting of his intellectual character.The Colonial PeriodMohammad Natsir, who holds the traditional title DatukSinaro Panjang, was born in Alahan Panjang, West Sumatra,on July 17, 1908. He passed away in Jakarta on 6 February1993, after having been in intensive care for some time. AlthoughNatsir had always been active in Muslim movements, he neverreceived any formal Islamic education. During his childhood,he entered the H.I.S. (Hollands Inlandsche School) Adabiyah,but later moved to a colonial government-administered H.I.S.Having graduated from this primary school, Natsir enteredMULO (Secondary Education) in Padang and then proceededto AMS (Algemene Middelbare School) in Bandung, West Java,where he studied language and classical European literature.He gained a first honours degree and therefore was entitled to