The people of Indonesia & their culture, politics, economy and environment - Inside Indonesia: The peoples and cultures of Indonesia

Religious Organisations

Nahdlatul Ulama, pesantren and the pandemic

The pandemic is posing unprecedented challenges for Muslims this fasting month of Ramadan

A kinder, more gentle FPI?

The historically hardline defenders of Islam plan to enter the political mainstream by softening their rhetoric and abandoning hate speech

Blasphemy on the rise

As blasphemy convictions increase in this democratic era, election campaigning indicates little will change

Middle-path Islam

The vibrant force of As’adiyah is countering Islamic extremism and safeguarding ethnic and cultural identity

Church-based resistance to mining in Manggarai

In a forest clearing, a group of villagers surround a priest, listening to his sermon.

Resistance is a way of defending local people’s rights in dealing with mining policy

Islam and citizenship

Speakers address Wahdah Islamiyah's members at the third 'muktamar' (congress) in Jakarta, July 2016. (Imam S/Kiblat.Net)

Organisations like Wahdah Islamiyah envision an ‘Islamic’ citizenship for Indonesia

Islamic cyber-activism

The yufid.com search engine provides potential followers with a search filter limited to approved Salafi sources

Yogyakartan Salafi youth are turning to social media to promote their faith

Religious Bandung II: The champion arrives

Bandung’s civic improvement program continues after its patron is imprisoned

No reconciliation without truth

Women who survived ‘1965’ in eastern Indonesia demand state recognition

Inside the kitchen of Jakarta's Istiqlal mosque

A Ramadan photo essay

Impossible ideal?

Cosmopolitanism is a dirty word in rural West Java, where creativity and new words are needed to reopen dialogue.

Stopping intolerance

Government must act to halt growing discrimination against minorities

Turning away from terror

Prison can be a place of radicalisation or rehabilitation

Born-again cosmopolitan

Pentecostalism and its expressive religiosity resonates with a new generation of Christians

Online networking and minority rights

LGBT communities use social media to organise despite threats of violence

Front stage with the PKS

At its upmarket congress, Indonesia’s biggest Islamic party tried but failed to convince it has become an open and inclusive party

New leadership, new policies?

The Nahdlatul Ulama congress in Makassar arrests the slide away from liberal views but shows the organisation's vulnerability to outside political interference

Homophobia on the rise

Recent attacks on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender meetings reveal the growing influence of Islamist groups and highlight unequal protection of citizenship rights

Religious Bandung

Bandung’s government opts for a religious program that matches the city’s character

God and democracy

A Christian church is asserting its democratic rights by suing the mayor of Depok

Subscribe to Inside Indonesia

Receive Inside Indonesia's latest articles and quarterly editions in your inbox.

Lontar Modern Indonesia

A selection of stories from the Indonesian classics and modern writers, periodically published free for Inside Indonesia readers, courtesy of Lontar.