A bit of politics

Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population, with 88% self-identifying as Muslim. But Indonesia is not a Muslim state. Sharia law is not officially recognized or enforced by the government (except in the island province of Aceh, which has a special status), and the Indonesean constitution provides "all persons the right to worship according to their own religion or belief", though it also states that "the nation is based upon belief in one sumpreme God." So, make of that what you will, I suppose.

In the US, the term umbrella term "Christian" probably masks more differences than it captures similarities. The same seems to be true of "Muslim" in Indonesia. Islam spread piecemeal through the many distinct cultures of the Indonesean islands and was integrated with local practices and beliefs in different ways for different reasons, creating, in the end, a huge diversity. And, seemingly, a healthy respect for difference. In Java, for example, there is a variety of Islam called kebatinan which is a loose amalgam of animism, Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic (especially Sufi) beliefs and practices. Former Indonesian president (and corrupt military dictator) Suharto was a public adherent of kebatinan, and it is explicitly recognized in the state constitution. Kebatinan practice is ambiguously polytheistic since it encourages sacrifices and devotions to local and ancestral spirits, which certainly seems, on its face, contradictory to the central monotheistic tenet of Islam. In short, Islam in Indonesia is far more tolerant and inclusive than its Middle-Eastern counterparts.

Indonesia has only been a democracy since 1998, however, holding its first direct presidential election in 2004. Suharto sought to eliminate any groups, political or religious, that might threaten his power. Many of the more radical followers of Islam who had fled the country under Suarto, have since returned and are trying to gather popular support in the new, religiously tolerant, democratic atmosphere.

And although only Aceh officially supports Sharia law, many local governments have implemented laws inspired, in one way or another, by Sharia. Though this may be unconstitutional, Indonesia's last president said that this wasn't Sharia law, so much as laws influenced by Sharia. It's interesting to compare this struggle to that of the US where there is a similar tension between those who maintain the importance of a secular state, and those who can't understand why, in a democracy, the laws shouldn't respect the moral attitudes of the majority.

Politically, Muslims in Indonesia have organized more or less into two distinct groups--traditionalists and nationalists (also called modernists), whose orientations you can probably guess. Traditionalists favor the establishment of an Islamic state based on Sharia law and are generally against western and secular influences, while the nationalists are generally interested and welcoming of educational and organizational practices from the west. Elections can be quite confusing, however, since there were 48 registered political parties in the last election here. A local friend of ours said that the parties generally have trouble differentiating themselves.

Most of the island of Java is traditionalist, though the city of Jogja (where we're staying) has a diverse population, and several major universities, making it a more liberal enclave. It isn't uncommon to see women without a head covering here, though it's also true that at least one local Christian I know of here wears a head covering--why, I can only guess.

Local people I've run into universally like Obama, and frequently mention his connection to Indonesia. A restaurant owner said that before his presidency he met maybe 1 or 2 Americans every 6 months, and now they (we) visit more frequently. We read, in a local English-language paper the opinion of one government minister that his mother has strong ties here and that "family connections can cut through governmental red tape." The article didn't say what, exactly, Indonesia would hope to gain from Obama administration favor, however. The article was a lighter piece about how best to win Obama over during his impending visit. Suggestions included erecting a statue of him, and pre-selecting basketball players for the "inevitable pickup game".

When I asked a local about his sense of Indonesian feelings for the US, he said he thought about 5-10% of the population had a quite negative view of the US, shaped almost exclusively by their perceptions of US foreign policy, and were "struggling to make war" (though it's not clear how literally to take this since his English was not great). (He also said that he thought we were in no personal danger here and we would never be able to tell, walking down the street, who might fall into that 5-10%--additionally, we felt his opinion likely to be unbiased since he doesn't make his living in any way off of tourism). The rest of the population, he said, understood that America is a large and diverse place and that Americans think many different things--a neither positive, nor negative endorsement. Most everyone we've met here has been very friendly, though, again, it's hard to tell because most locals where we are make a living, directly or indirectly, off of tourism.

They're better about tourists than I am! I have to admit to being a bit of a grump about many of the other tourists. I'm suspicious of their motives, values, and general (apparent) ways of life (though it's true that my suspicions are entirely based on superficial queues, and the ones I've actually talked to, I've liked, for the most part). I'm actively working on reminding myself that they're probably very nice people, and to remain supportive of difference =)