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Religious Intolerance in Indonesia
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Updated October 10, 2018
Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim-majority
country, and it has long been known for its moderate
interpretations of Islam. Yet, in recent years, there have
been numerous acts of religious intolerance directed against
minority religious groups in the country, including
Ahmadis, a Muslim sect. This sort of intolerance gained
international attention in December 2016 when over
200,000 protestors descended on Jakarta, Indonesia's
capital, to demand that the city's governor, Basuki Tjahaja
Purnama, resign. They accused Basuki, otherwise known as
Ahok, of blasphemy because he had suggested that his
political opponents were using a Quranic verse to
encourage Muslims to vote against non-Muslims. (Ahok is
a double minority in Indonesia: he is a Christian and
ethnically Chinese.) Months later, Ahok lost his reelection
bid; he also was charged with blasphemy, convicted, and
sentenced to two years in prison.
The sentence shocked many Southeast Asia observers.
After the demonstrations, some of them began to question
Indonesia's reputation for religious tolerance. They pointed
to an uptick in the number of attacks and discriminatory
practices aimed at minorities, and noted that Islamist
groups' political influence seemed to be increasing.
Previously, these groups had limited influence in national
politics, and secular parties dominated national elections.
Secular parties still are the most powerful ones in the
country, but given the success of the anti-Ahok
demonstrations, Islamist groups and hardline rhetoric may
have an unprecedented impact on the upcoming 2019
general elections. Some observers argue that even some
mainstream political figures have become more inclined to
use religious intolerance to shore up political support.
Several factors may be contributing to the more-mainstream
acceptance of hardline interpretations of Islam, including
the country's Islamic schools, funding from the Persian
Gulf region, and the Indonesian government's policies.
Indonesia's population is over 260 million, comprising
Muslims (87.2%), Protestants (7.0%), Roman Catholics
(2.9%), and Hindus (1.7%). Many Indonesian Muslims
worship local spirits and deities, in addition to practicing
their Islamic faith. The country's constitution protects
religious freedom, but in recent years, studies have found
that religious intolerance is increasing. In 2017, an
Indonesian NGO, the Setara Institute, reported that acts of
religious intolerance increased between 2015 and 2016-
from 236 acts to 270. That same year, the Jakarta-based
Center for the Study of Islam and Society polled Indonesian
high-school and university students; almost 90% of
respondents said that the government should ban heretical
groups. While some Indonesian polls are considered
unreliable, their findings have been borne out by qualitative
accounts. In 2016, Sidney Jones, the director of the Institute
for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC), noted that a more
conservative, more intolerant atmosphere has gradually
emerged in the country.
In Indonesia, there are several hardline Islamist groups. One
is known as the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI). It was
founded in 1998-according to some, with the backing of
the military and police-and it has an estimated 200,000
members. The group has engaged in vigilante-style
violence. It has closed down nightclubs and bars during
Ramadan, and it was a driving force behind the anti-Ahok
protests. Another group, Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI),
was involved in the anti-Ahok protests as well. The group is
part of a wider, transnational organization, and seeks to
establish a caliphate through non-violent means. It has tens
of thousands of members in Indonesia. According to IPAC,
it has a strong presence on university campuses, and is
committed to the infiltration of government and security
forces, so that Islamic governance can be achieved from
within. The Indonesian government banned HTI in 2017.
Islamist groups and hardline rhetoric may have
an unprecedented impact on the upcoming 2019
general elections.
Indonesia's two largest Islamic organizations, Nahdlatul
Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, are considered more
moderate. Both have deep religious and political influence,
largely because of their size. NU has an estimated 40
million members; Muhammadiyah has about 30 million.
NU and Muhammadiya have roots in many smaller
religious and civic organizations across the country, and
they have been involved in efforts to combat militant
interpretations of Islam in Indonesia. But some are worried
that grassroots elements within both groups-and NU
especially-are becoming more conservative. (Historically,
NU has been the more moderate of the two.) According to
William Liddle, a political scientist at Ohio State
University, during and since President [Abdurrahman]
Wahid-who headed NU before becoming Indonesia's
president in 1999 the impression that moderates
dominate NU has never been accurate.
For decades, Saudi Arabia, along with its neighbors, has
funded schools and programs to spread Salafist-Islamic
thought in Indonesia. (Persian Gulf funding comes from
government and nongovemment sources, including wealthy
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