Indonesia — largest Muslim-majority democracy — upholds religious tolerance

Indonesia — largest Muslim-majority democracy — upholds religious tolerance

Commentary by Nick Gier | FāVS News

At 282 million people, Indonesia is the largest Muslim majority nation in the world and fourth largest in population. It is a democratic republic, and as such it protects its religious minorities. In addition to Islam, it recognizes five other official religions.

In order of size of population, the religions are Catholicism, Protestantism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Shintoism and Daoism are other minor world religions that are also recognized as legal.

I use the phrase “Muslim majority” advisedly because, like the United States, the Indonesian government makes a distinction between state and religion. Indonesia is no more a Muslim nation than the U.S. is a Christian republic.

Tolerance in education and culture

Indonesia’s educational system serves 52 million students, and, in 2023, it achieved a literacy rate of 99% among 15–19 year-olds. Classes in religion are required but parents, following the republican principle of religious tolerance, can request instruction in the family’s religion.

In the early years of founding the Indonesian state, Islamic authorities proposed that only the monotheistic religions be allowed official recognition. Again, moderation and tolerance prevailed in a court decision that ruled a religion must only affirm the existence of “divine substances,” which would recognize the Atman-Brahman (Godhead) of Hinduism, and also, I would think, the animistic folk religions.

Massacre of communists in 1965

There is, unfortunately, discrimination against agnostic and atheist citizens. The most egregious example of this was the 1965 purge of the Indonesian Communist Party (founded by Dutch socialists in 1914) that led to targeted assassinations of an estimated 500,000 people. The hit list was formulated by American CIA agents.

The communists, with no real evidence, were presumed to be atheists, but the massacre was principally a political action, not a specific religious one, and thousands of innocents were killed. During this time of anti-communist fervor, the government required citizens to carry identity cards indicating religious affiliation. There were mass conversions, especially among Indonesians of Chinese heritage, to the major religions.

Restoration of a Buddhist monument

The Indonesian government, unlike Afghanistan, strongly supports the preservation of its pre-Islamic monuments. The best example of this was the decision to resurrect Borobudur, the largest Buddhist stupa in the world with smaller stupas situated around the top of the structure.

Unlike a temple where religious services are held, a stupa is a reliquary containing relics (the Buddha’s tooth, for example, in Sri Lanka) and ancient scripture. Borobudur is unique in that the small stupas at the top contain Buddha statues.

Borobudur was built in the eighth century AD by the Buddhist Shailendra dynasty, but it was abandoned during the rise of Islam in the 14th century. The ruins were uncovered by the British in 1814, and a long process of reconstruction began only to cease because of a lack of funds.

For the next 150 years, Borobudur was looted by thieves who sold severed Buddha heads on the black market. The German government has now provided a grant to reattach 56 heads that have been retrieved from museums around the world.

From 1960 to 1973 the Indonesian government, with the cooperation of UNESCO and world-wide donations, was able to complete the task of reconstruction of Borobudur at the cost of $7 million. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and it draws two million visitors each year.

Violence in Western Indonesia

Over the decades the Indonesian government has encouraged, as a way of alleviating overpopulation on the island of Java where 55% of the people live, transmigration across the islands. Some Muslims chose to resettle in Maluku Province where a majority were Christians.

In 1999, violence broke out in Maluku between the two religions and over 1,000 people died. In other areas of Western Indonesia where there are also Christian majorities, Muslim homes and mosques have been burned in protest.

Blasphemy law rarely enforced

The nation’s blasphemy law was rarely enforced during the years 1967-2004 — with only eight cases — but with the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, the number of prosecutions rose to 19 cases in 2023 alone. The small number of cases indicate that the Indonesian courts have deflected extremist accusations against alleged infidels.

The Bali bombings of 2002

As in many other parts of the world Islamic fundamentalism in Indonesia was a late development. Jemaah Islamiyah, Al-Qaeda’s Indonesian wing, was founded in 1993, and it was responsible for the horrific Bali bombings in 2002. The terrorists set off three bombs in Bali’s southern tourist district. The attack killed 202 people and injured another 209. The national police chief stated that it was the “worst act of terror in Indonesia’s history.”

The attack was not directed against Bali’s majority Hindu population, which indicates political motivation not specific religious animus. Rather, the targets were the 152 Australians, Americans, Canadians, New Zealanders and Europeans who died. A message from Osama bin Laden was found in the terrorists’ belongings. It read: “You will be killed just as you kill, and you will be bombed just as you bomb.”

Nick Gier of Moscow was professor of philosophy and religion at the University of Idaho for 31 years. He was coordinator of religious studies from 1980 to 2003. He is the author of “The Origins of Religious Violence: An Asian Perspective,” and he has just returned from a three-week tour of Southeast Asia. Email him at ngier006@gmail.com. 

The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.