Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, is often hailed as a beacon for moderate Islam in the world. Sunday’s attack on three churches in Surabaya and following attacks on the police on Monday highlights a grave threat to that image. Rise of conservative form of Islam is becoming a serious issue in the South Asian Republic.
87 per cent of Indonesia’s 237 million population identifies itself as Muslims, with 99 per cent of them following Sunni branch of Islam. Christians make up the second largest demographic with 10 per cent of the population (Roman Catholics make up 7 percent and Protestants 3 percent). While, Hinduism and Buddhism account for less than 2 per cent.
This puts Jakarta in charge of a substantial minority population. Although the country is known for its tolerance, the discrimination against them over the past few years have raised many eyebrows. However, the discrimination is not limited on religious basis but also transcends onto ethnic basis with people of Chinese ethnicity being often discriminated against.
Indonesia has often been looked upon for its cultural syncretism. Its embassy Washington, DC, sports a 16-foot-high statue of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of education and wisdom. At her feet three students are seen in a conversation. One of the depicted children is young Barack Obama and the other two are his classmates while he was in grade school in Indonesia.
National emblem of Indonesia is Garuda Pancasila, with its National motto ‘Unity in Diversity’ inscribed on it. The National carrier is named after Garuda, the vehicle of Vishnu. The 20,000 rupiah currency note carries the image of Ganesh, the God of wisdom in Hinduism.
The country’s founding father Sukarno was named after Karna, one of the principle character in Mahabharata. His daughter Megawati Sukarnoputri, served as President of Indonesia from 2001 to 2004. These examples speak volumes of country’s tolerance for various religions. Under the authoritarian regime of General Suharto from 1967-1998, religion’s role in politics was largely kept under check. However, after his resignation, conservative forms of Islam has seen a rise in popularity.
Some leaders have often used religious identity to win legitimacy to rule its people. The election campaign for the post of Jarkarta’s Governor highlights this. Former Jakartan Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama’s tenure from 2014-2017 had shown him to be a capable leader. Basuki was popularly known as Ahok, he is Chirstian of Chinese descent. He declared that he would fight for re-election to the Governorship.
Ahok’s opponent, Anies Baswedan campaigned on the lines of religion and ethnicity against Basuki. The campaign became notorious in the international media and raised many questions of Indonesia’s moderate image. Baswedan won the election while Ahok has been jailed for blasphemy against Islam.
In the early 2000s, the country had waged a long battle against Sunni Islamist militants. Detachment counter-terrorism units dismantled Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and other al-Qaeda-affiliated networks following the 2002 Bali bombing.
Sunday and Monday’s attacks have been claimed by Islamic State (IS) and carried out by IS sympathisers. Indonesia needs to expedite its action against terrorism networks operating in the country and also curb the influence of conservative Islam on politics. Otherwise, the much celebrated qualities of the country will be lost to religious fundamentalism.
