Tensions were high in Banten early on Sunday when radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir was confronted by angry residents and asked to leave their village.

Jakarta – Religious figures are calling on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to revamp the Religious Affairs Ministry and restore it to its original function of encouraging harmony and

Jakarta – Gorontalo mayoralty administration has obliged its Muslim civil servants to read the Koran every Friday.

Jakarta – A series of attacks on followers of the Ahmadiyah religious sect has once again drawn criticism, with an expert in religion and democracy urging the government to exercise its

Nurfika Osman & Antara – A Central Java court on Tuesday threw out child abuse charges against self-proclaimed Islamic cleric Sheikh Puji over his marriage to a 12-year-old girl.

Nivell Rayda – Ali did not expect to be solicited for bribe money from the "religious" office that was supposed to take care of arrangements for his marriage, but that was exactly what

Jakarta – The National Alliance for the Freedom of Religion and Faith (AKKBB) has planned to file a request with the Constitutional Court to review the 1965 blasphemy law which they say

Hasyim Widhiarto, Jakarta – A conflict between a Protestant group and a Muslim group in Cinere, Depok, may continue to heat up as a local group opposing the construction of a Huria Kris

Jakarta – More than 300 people have been killed in road accidents in Indonesia during a mass exodus to celebrate the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, a police spokesman said Wednesday.

Amir Tedjo, Sidoarjo (East Java) – Idul Fitri celebrations were muted for former residents of a town destroyed by a mud volcano that has buried thousands of homes and forced residents i

A Muslim leader on Friday criticized an Indonesian production company for inviting a Japanese adult video star to appear in its new film, a report said.

Ismira Lutfia – Though the month of Ramadan is supposed to be a time of spiritual reflection, TV ratings show that most people are tuning in to reality shows as soon as they break their

Febriamy Hutapea & Heru Andriyanto – The nation is quietly being pushed closer toward an Islamic state, Christian politicians and religious groups warned on Sunday, pointing to atte

Jakarta – The recent bombings in Jakarta should be a wake-up call for Islamic organizations and clerics to promote noble Islamic values in order to prevent the rapid spread of terrorism

Ismira Lutfia – What better symbols to present to Muslim-dominated television audiences in this holy month of Ramadan than Arabic cultural icons such as camels and deserts?

Ismira Lutfia – A prudent man does not make the goat his gardener. Nor, apparently, should a prudent television station broadcast the word "goat."

Bogor – Bogor Police took 30 unmarried couples from several hotels in Parung, Bogor, on Friday evening and brought them to police headquarters for questioning.

Ismira Lutfia – In an effort to scoop audience ratings during the holy month, broadcasters have been serving up a banquet of Islamic-oriented shows for Muslim viewers, ranging from tele

Around 370 operators and employees of entertainment centers in Bekasi, east of Jakarta, have demanded that the local authorities pay them a Ramadan allowance following the closure of th

Three key industries – food and beverages, cosmetics and pharmacy – are bracing for hefty additional costs and to risk losing trillions of rupiah in margins if the nation presses ahead

Jakarta – Indonesian officials have warned radical Muslim groups not to attack nightclubs and other businesses deemed sinful in Islam during the Ramadan fasting month, which started yes

Ronna Nirmala – As food prices continued to climb on the eve of Ramadan on Friday, state-owned pawnshops across the nation began to experience the seasonal surge of customers looking to

The city warned private organizations Friday not to attack nightclubs and other controversial businesses during Ramadan.

Hundreds of people rallied and burned down tens of houses in the Sepakat red light district in Pelalawan, Riau, on Thursday as part of an anti-vice campaign ahead of Ramadan.

Tangerang – Praying is meant to be a simple act, but not in Indonesia, which proclaims itself the world's biggest God-fearing democracy, and refuses to be called a secular nation.

Nana Rukmana, Cirebon – Hundreds of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) located in the northern coastal area of West Java have declared an anti-terrorism movement in an effort to preve

Camelia Pasandaran – To fight terrorism fight poverty, Islamic scholars said on Thursday.

Nurfika Osman – The country's highest authority on Islam reminded Indonesians on Monday that it had previously issued an edict against Muslims carrying out acts of terror.

Bangkalan, Madura – The regional coordinator of the Madura Ulema Association in Bangkalan has come out in support of a proposed bylaw that would require female students to wear Islamic

Jakarta – Leaders of various religious groups as well as anti-violence activists held two separate mass prayers on Monday at the site of the Jakarta hotel bombings, which killed nine pe

Prodita Sabarini – Bogor's Chinatown has for years been famous for its modest restaurants serving tasty pork dishes.

Municipal officials in Pekanbaru, Riau, are requiring school children to wear traditional Muslim dress every Friday as part of an effort to bolster the region's Malay identity, an offic

Farouk Arnaz – A Muslim cleric charged for breaking child protection laws by marrying a 12-year-old girl accused his former lawyer of fraud for failing to make good on promises to sprin

Bachtiar Effendy, Jakarta – Again, for the second time this year, the moment of truth is finally here.

Febriamy Hutapea – "Everything just goes on as usual. Nothing's changed," Muhammad Riskonhasan, 22, said.

Jon Afrizal, Jambi – The Merangin regency branch of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has declared deviant the teachings of the Tarikat Naqsabandiyah Islamic group, widely embraced sin

Amir Tejo & Ismira Lutfia, Surabaya – In a rarely seen community backlash against Muslim radicals, residents in a Surabaya neighborhood took a somewhat vigilante tack, physically ba

Panca Nugraha, Mataram – West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) administration has reportedly dropped plans to buy assets of local Jamaah Ahmadiyah followers, forcing them to remain in refugee camps.

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – Leaders of the Timor Evangelical Church (GMIT) expressed disappointment over the arrests of alleged defiant Sion City of Allah sect leaders as suspects of reli

Indonesia has threatened to ban Australian beef imports amid concerns some of the meat doesn't meet Islamic halal standards.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati – Hundreds of protesters from several hard-line Islamic groups rallied on Monday, and declared support for presidential candidates who would support Shariah law

Muninggar Sri Saraswati – Despite the waning popularity of Islam-based political parties, presidential candidates and their running mates have continued to stress their religious values

Irawaty Wardany, Makassar – The issue of headscarfs looks to drag-on in the lead-up to the presidential election on July 8, although many have learned that appearances can be deceitful.

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Ferry Iwanto – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on his coalition partners over the weekend to steer clear of using symbols related to religion or race during the campaign.

Jakarta – The Democratic Party (PD) has criticized other parties contesting the upcoming presidential race for allegedly exploiting Islam for political gain.

Jakarta – Islamic symbols will be nondeterminant factors for Indonesians electing the president and vice president in July, just as in April, an observer says.

Indra Harsaputra, Magetan, East Java – Many have been shocked to learn that 1,700 Muslim clerics of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) – the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia – have issued an

Nurfika Osman – This conclusion was drawn when Muslim clerics from Islamic boarding schools, or pesantren, from across Java and Madura islands convened on Thursday.

Jakarta – Recent moves by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the National Mandate Party (PAN) may have carved deeper scars into the already tarnished image of Indonesia's Islamic-ba