A map of Indonesia showing the distribution of the various religions across the archipelago.
Image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Indonesia
This is a pie chart on some of the religions in Indonesia as well as the distribution of these religions in the archipelago.
Image from: http://austindo-partnership59.bridge.wikispaces.net/People+and+Culture
In the 2010 Indonesian census:
87.18% of Indonesians identified themselves as Muslim (predominantly Sunnis, also including Shias and Ahmadis)
6.96% Protestant
2.91% Catholic
2.69% Hindu, 0.72% Buddhist,
0.05% Khong Hu Chu, 0.13% others, and 0.38% unstated or not asked.
Islam - predominant religion in Indonesia:
Predominant religion in Indonesia
170 million devotees, 88% of population are followers
Most provinces and islands have majority populations of Islamic adherents (e.g. > 50 percent in Kalimantan Barat and Maluku provinces, 97.8 percent in the Special Region of Aceh)
First introduced in the 14th century by traders and wandering mystics from India
20 Islam-based kingdoms established by end of 15th century
Much less strict practice and interpretation in Indonesia as compared to the Middle East
Hinduism:
Primarily associated with Bali (approx. 93% of population there, but only 2% of national population) - few believers outside Bali in early 1990s,
Was greatly modified to adapt to Indonesian society (e.g. though caste system is present, it is not rigidly applied)
Wayang (shadow puppet) and dance performances by believers included the Hindu religious epics (e.g. the Mahabharata & the Ramayana), which were traditions
Deeply interwoven with art and ritual; less preoccupied with scripture, law and belief
Lacks the traditional emphasis on cycles of rebirth and reincarnation but instead focuses on local and ancestral spirits
Christianity:
Most rapidly growing religion in the 1980s
Numbers still small compared to Islam (9% of population - Christians v.s. 86.9% - Muslims in 1985)
Long history in the smaller islands (Portuguese Jesuits and Dominicans operating in the Maluku’s, southern Sulawesi, and Timor in the 16th century)
Majority of Christians were Protestants in the 1990s
Read more in: http://www.destination-asia.com/indonesia/about/beliefs/
What was Indonesia's religious situation in the past?
Animists - they believed that:
Non-human entities (e.g. animals and plants) and inanimate objects (e.g. rocks) can have souls.
These entities must be appeased by offerings, or even worshipped, in order to gain favour.
Less popular nowadays but still practised in places like Papua and West Sumba
What do the people of Indonesia believe in and what about it?
The religions practised by the people in Indonesia play a large role in shaping the country's political, economic and cultural aspects.
The Indonesian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. However, Indonesian law requires every citizen to hold an identity card that identifies themselves to be part of a religion, although citizens can leave that section blank.
Only 6 official religions are recognised by the government:
Islam
Protestantism
Catholicism
Hinduism
Buddhism
Confucianism
Agnosticism and atheism are not recognised, and blasphemy is illegal. Those who leave the column about religion in their identity card blank/register under one of the "non-recognised" religions face discrimination and harassment, even refusal of employment.
This is a poll showing the opinions of Indonesian adults on whether the Constitution of Indonesia should guarantee freedom of religion.
Image from: http://www.gallup.com/poll/108160/indonesians-champion-religious-freedom.aspx
Religious Issues in Indonesia
Some causes:
Indonesia's political leadership (affects the religious situation both positively and negatively)
Government decisions (e.g. the Transmigration Program)
Indonesia is important as one of the world’s largest democracies and one of the world’s largest Islamic nations. It has enormous influence and is a potential model for development, democracy and interfaith strategies.
In recent years the United Nations has expressed with unrest at religious discrimination and intolerance in the country. There is concern with regards to the distinctions made in legal documents between Indonesia's six recognized religions and the adverse impact on the freedom of thought, conscience and religion of people belonging to minorities, ethnic groups and indigenous peoples in Indonesia.
In 2007 the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination noted with concern that mixed-faith couples—in which the man and woman hold different recognized beliefs—faced difficulties in officially registering their marriages and that their children were not provided with birth certificates, as they were not the products of “lawful” marriage. In contradiction to that, however, those who change their religion to marry their partner may be put under unfair outcasting.
Furthermore, there is no provision for individuals without any religious belief to enter into a civil marriage contract, and no legal documentation. As a result, people keep their atheist beliefs secret and when the time comes to marry, they make the choice of either marrying in a religious ceremony that is devoid of meaning for them, or not marrying at all, which can leave their family and offspring without legal protection.
Forcing an Indonesian to adopt a religion as part of her identity undermines the right to freedom of thought and religion under article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Concern has been expressed in Indonesia and internationally about religious minorities being targeted by fundamentalists, who have branded them as members of heretical cults. The Asian Human Rights Commission and other human rights organizations have highlighted violent attacks and intimidation against these religious groups and their places of religious worship. Despite this, there has been no concerted effort to protect their rights so far.
On the contrary, religious intolerance and discrimination is effectively condemned under Law No 1/1965 on the Prevention of Religious Abuse and Blasphemy, which amends the Indonesian Penal Code (article 156 (a)) to allow the state to prosecute people deemed to commit blasphemous acts which “principally have the character of being at enmity with, abusing or staining a religion adhered to in Indonesia”. The maximum penalty is five years imprisonment.
To combat this law and the issues of state-authorized religious intolerance within it, human rights groups have gone to the Constitutional Court to seek a judicial review of the law, in the hope that it will be struck down as incompatible with human rights and freedom of religion.
The state, by only recognizing six religions and enforcing a blasphemy law that alienates and criminalizes those believing in any other religion or faith, is in effect giving Indonesians a choice between one of six religions. The right to choose between one religion or another is a false choice and only creates the wrong illusion of freedom.
This poll shows the opinion of Indonesian adults on whether the area they reside in is a good place to live for religious minorities.
Image from: http://www.gallup.com/poll/108160/indonesians-champion-religious-freedom.aspx