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Despite being the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, Indonesia has long punched below its weight in the big Islamic debates.

The dominant Muslim ideas, spiritual and political, long emanated from the conservative Middle East.

Demonstrations of Middle-Eastern-style public piety have become much more common in recent decades in Indonesia.

Yet most Indonesians still adhere to Asia’s syncretic traditions.

In some parts of Java island, Islam mingles with local beliefs called kejawen, or Javanese mysticism.

The country’s state ideology, known as Pancasila, encourages such moderation.

Indonesia’s main Muslim organizations are pushing for a more inclusive, tolerant Islam that reflects the spirit of Pancasila.

Many of the country’s top political figures, including President Jokowi, formally reject the idea of a caliphate, a notional authority that is considered to oversee all Muslims worldwide.

Jokowi’s administration banned two hardline Islamic groups in 2017 and 2020.

The government also monitors civil servants for extremist beliefs.

Indonesia appears to be on a trajectory toward a more moderate and inclusive form of Islam.

On this positive note, CINTASIA wish our Muslim friends and partners a blessed Ramadan which has started this week.

Source: This is a summary of an article by The Economist, 19 August 2023
Picture: Nike

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