Alwi Shihab is a senior fellow at the Leimena Institute and is the Indonesian president’s special envoy to the Middle East and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. The following post is based on his remarks during the panel “Understanding Religious Freedom: Why Does It Matter?” at the ICLRS 31st Annual International Law and Religion Symposium, 7 October 2024.
Religious freedom in Indonesia is a complex and nuanced issue. While Indonesia officially promotes religious diversity, and its constitution guarantees the right to worship, unfortunately, the reality on the ground is often more complicated.
Consequences of Indonesia’s Reformation
Beginning in 1998, Indonesia went through a Reformation, facilitating greater freedom and democratization after the long dictatorship of Suharto. This freer environment facilitated the entrance and influence of radical Islamic schools of thought, which were banned under Suharto. It is well known that during Suharto Indonesia enjoyed tolerance between religious communities because radical or transnational groups, particularly from the Middle East, exercised no influence. During the time of Suharto, Indonesia had two important “homegrown” Islamic organizations, which were not influenced by outside communities or Islamic thought. Post-Reformation, under the guise of freedom of expression, outside communities and groups tried to take advantage of freedom of expression and to poison the minds of the Indonesian people by introducing and disseminating radical thought. While Indonesians were happy with the Reformation, they suffered unexpected consequences from the introduction of this radical movement, including the 2002 Bali bombing and 2003 and 2009 Marriott bombings. Before that, Indonesians lived in peace. The two organizations thought to be responsible for those bombings are pillars of Islamic teaching in Indonesia; no one would imagine that they would bring about terrorism and radical thought. But their actions were the unintended consequences of freedom of expression and freedom of religion brought by the Reformation in 1998.
Religious Tolerance and Discrimination in Indonesia
Indonesia is a secular state with a strong emphasis on religious tolerance. The constitution guarantees every citizen the right to choose and practice their religion. However, the state officially recognizes only six religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Outside of these six religions, any new religion will face challenges in gaining legal recognition and protection.
Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim majority, with more than 85% of the population adhering to Islam, predominantly Sunni. While there is official tolerance for other religions, including other officially recognized religions as well as indigenous religious groups, minority religions sometimes face discrimination, both socially and legally. Blasphemy laws that criminalize defamation or insults against recognized religions are often criticized for being used to target minority religious groups or individuals seen as challenging the status quo. Politics do play a role in this. Notable cases such as the imprisonment of the former governor of Jakarta on blasphemy charges highlight concerns about the misuse of these laws. Furthermore, the province of Aceh in northern Sumatra has implemented Sharia law for its Muslim citizen, in contrast to the rest of Indonesia that operates under secular legal systems. This enforcement of Islamic law has raised concerns about religious freedom, particularly for non-Muslim residents and tourists in Aceh.
Building places of worship for non-Muslim communities, especially Christian churches, can be difficult. Even though a Joint Ministerial Decree on Houses of Worship was issued in 2006, constructing churches still requires extensive community approval and permits, often resulting in delays or denials, particularly in Muslim majority areas. An example of this opposition involves the building of a church in a mostly Muslim area in Cilegon. Even though the central government had given approval for the church’s construction, the local government was reluctant to issue the building permit because of pressure from a radical group. The issue now, hopefully, has been resolved.
We are trying to overcome these and other incidents of religious intolerance, discrimination, and violence. For example, Christian and Ahmadiyya communities have experienced attacks on their places of worship. Similarly, Shia Muslim and Bahá’í adherents face social exclusion and sometimes even violence from radical Sunni groups. We did not experience such harsh attitudes and treatment before the Reformation; rather, the transnational groups that have been introduced to and penetrated the country have brought about intolerant attitudes.
Positive efforts have been made by the government and two homegrown Islamic organizations, Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama, through the Pancasila—the five principles or pillars of Indonesia, the national philosophy that promotes belief in one God and unity in diversity. The government often refers to Pancasila as the basis for religious tolerance and coexistence, though its application may vary.
Interfaith Dialogue Efforts
Interfaith dialogue is being popularized in Indonesia. Numerous initiatives for promoting interfaith dialog and religious tolerance in Indonesia are supported by civil society organizations and moderate religious leaders. The efforts aim to reduce religious tensions and promote understanding. While Indonesia provides constitutional protection for religious freedom, the application of this protection can be inconsistent, especially for religious minorities—as mentioned earlier, for example, in the construction of churches. Nevertheless, Indonesia continues to promote itself as a model of religious tolerance in a diverse and pluralistic society, albeit with significant challenges.
The Leimena Institute and Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy
I conclude with the Leimena Institute’s efforts to mitigate these challenges. Three years ago, the Leimena Institute, in collaboration with many Islamic organizations, established a program of cross-cultural religious literacy in Indonesia. The program aims to enlighten and educate teachers of madrasas, Islamic religious schools. Why? Because, according to one survey, more than 50% of these religious teachers are affected by intolerance. This number is alarming, given that religious teachers are the builders of the younger generation. If we fail to mitigate this challenge, generations of Indonesian youth may end up being intolerant people. The program’s aim is no less than to educate and enlighten the teachers of madrasas to know the exact teachings of Islam, which are far from radicalism and intolerance. The program is aimed not only at Muslim teachers; it also helps Christian religious teachers learn about the teachings of Islam from the original source—the Qur’an and the exemplary life of the Prophet—which do not promote intolerance or human rights violations. To date, the program has graduated around 10,000 people.
In Indonesia, each year, controversy arises during the Christmas season. Some radical teachers say that it is prohibited for Muslims to greet Christians during the Christmas season. We enlighten our teachers that the Qur’an does not say that. Instead, the Qur’an emphasizes, “When a (courteous) greeting is offered you, meet it with a greeting still more courteous, or (at least) of equal courtesy” (4:86). Muhammad, the Prophet, God does not forbid you to be just and nice to those who are not fighting your religion and are not trying to drive you out of your country. I always emphasize to our participant-teachers that the non-Muslim community in Indonesia is not trying to drive us from Indonesia or fight our religion. So why not try to obey this verse of the Qur’an?
Finally, the Prophet clearly tells non-Muslims that they are not responsible for what Muslims do, nor are Muslims responsible for what non-Muslims do; let God gather us together in the hereafter and let Him reveal who among us are on the right path or not (Qur’an 42:15)—meaning let us practice full tolerance rather than curse one another. That is what we hope to do through the Leimena Institute: to flourish and to expand to all ASEAN countries to help create a widening inclusive and tolerant community.