Far more Muslims live in Indonesia than in the Middle East. The archipelago is made up of more than 17,000 islands and home to 270 million people.
Following the end of the brutal Suharto dictatorship in 1998, Indonesia became a model for a democratic Muslim majority state. But in recent years, Islamist groups have gained influence.
The report begins in Aceh. It is only here, in the northernmost province of the island of Sumatra, that a rigid interpretation of Islamic Sharia law applies - including public floggings. The reasons for the humiliating punishments are manifold: sex before or outside marriage, alcohol consumption or homosexuality.
A growing tendency towards a more conservative interpretation of Islam is also noticeable in other parts of secular Indonesia. More women are wearing headscarves in public places. The niqab, the face veil, is becoming increasingly popular. Members of minority groups feel marginalized.
"Unfortunately, Indonesia is not immune to the worldwide increase in intolerance”, says politician Yenny Wahid.
The daughter of the first elected president after the Suharto dictatorship stands for cosmopolitanism and represents a liberal view of Islam. She, too, has observed a slow Islamization of her homeland and the tendency of politicians to make concessions to radical and populist groups.
Student activists blame the corruption of the ruling class for growing radicalism and undermining diversity.
The documentary "Indonesia - Diversity Under Threat" asks whether the country can preserve its religious tolerance.
Early in this excellent documentary, the narrator stated that Islam is compatible with democracy. It is not! If you hear anyone making such a statement, especially a politician, call him/her out! They are displaying their ignorance of both democracy and Islam! For a democracy to exist, it is absolutely essential that there be separation of Church and State. The temporal must be separated from the spiritual. Without this separation, democracy cannot exist, still less thrive.
The politically-correct try and hide the fact that there are many fundamental differences between Islam and Christianity. But there are many great differences! In Islam, the temporal and the spiritual are one organic whole – they are intertwined. There is no separation at all. You might think that this is a moot point; it is not! That there be a separation of Church or religious affairs and State or secular affairs is the sine qua non of democracy. Without that separation, democracy cannot survive.
I wrote the following essay on this subject many years ago. In 2007, to be precise. When I posted it, it went all around the world. What I wrote then applies both to democracy and to Islam today, as well, of course. The nature of Islam has not changed, nor has the nature of a true democracy.
By the way, that doesn’t make Islam bad and democracy good. It just makes the two systems different.
I hope you enjoy the read. – © Mark
Islam: The Enemy of Democracy and Freedom »
