Islamic organizations in South Sumatra vary dramatically in their expressed commitment to or rejection of democratic values and in the way they are politically structured, ranging from Muhammadiyah, which supports and applies democratic values, to the Islamic Defenders Front (Front Pembela Islam) and the Islamist Council of Indonesian Mujahidin (Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia), which explicitly reject democracy and have an authoritarian structure. This study suggests that in the more open political environment of the post-Suharto period, the authoritarian Islamic organizations are losing their appeal, and organizations that appeal to Islamic values—such as the unity of the Islamic community and the authority of religious leaders—have begun to change in ways that make their practices more democratic.