Indonesia’s Secular State under Siege

Indonesia is a nominally secular democracy. But the influence of conservative Islam is gaining in the world’s biggest Muslim country. A further step away from tolerance may be just around the corner.

For years, radical Islamists have taken advantage of the democracy gained after the 1998 ouster of former Indonesian dictator Suharto to question that very democracy, all in the name of piety. A cultural war has broken out between the supporters and opponents of religious fundamentalism, a struggle that could deeply change this country and its traditionally softer brand of Islam.