Moderate Religiosity Can’t Survive the Rule of the Gun

The Straits Times

02 April 2014

Asian governments should work to create a climate where a rational, objective and civil dialogue about religiosity can take place.

AS INDONESIA heads to the elections – both legislative and presidential – this year, analysts and scholars have begun to ask if the country’s image as a moderate Muslim state will remain unchallenged in the years to come. While it is true that Indonesian Islam has, to some extent, been shaped and defined by the country’s two biggest Muslim organisations – the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and the Muhammadiyah – for decades, the fact remains that the NU and Muhammadiyah account for at most 70 million followers in a country with more than 200 million Muslims, which in real terms makes them minority voices.

… The writer is associate professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.

Categories:

RSIS / IDSS / GPO / Print