Historically, Islam and Indonesia have been two areas of contention since the nation declared independence 75 years ago. Long before that, the births of the two largest Islamic organizations in Indonesia, namely Muhammadiyah (1912) and Nahdlatul Ulama (1926), were inseparable from the national independence spirit that fought for freedom from the shackles of colonialism.
Notwithstanding the national ideals agreed in the Pancasila (five pillars) as the state ideology that unified the plurality spanning the archipelago from west to east, living together amidst diversity remains a challenge for religious life in Indonesia, especially after 1998.
Some scholars have said that post-authoritarian Indonesian Islam has colored Islam with conservatism (van Bruinessen, 2013). The increasing strength of religious identity politics is but one interpretation of the religion, which at least contai...