Jakarta – The Ministry of Religious Affairs ban on backpacker umrah, or people making the minor pilgrimage to Mecca independently, is an excessive interference in the private religious

Jakarta – Bima Abdul Sholeh, 32, sat calmly as a doctor armed with a laser pointer zapped tattoos from his face at an event in Jakarta being held by a charity organization during the ho

Jakarta – After 53 years, Christians in Indonesia can finally celebrate Good Friday consistent with their theology.

Jakarta – Beyond exercising restraint over their survival instincts by foregoing eating and drinking for the daylight hours for a month, Indonesian Muslims will face an extra challenge

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesian Religious Affairs Ministry spokesperson, Anna Hasbie, clarified that the ministry has never imposed any prohibition on the use of loudspeakers in m

Antara, Jakarta – Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas said Wednesday he is anticipating varying dates for the start of Ramadan between the official government stipulation and

Mathias Hariyadi, Jakarta – On the eve of the presidential and parliamentary vote in Indonesia – the most populous Muslim nation in the world – in a climate marked by protests over the

Whisnu Bagus Prasetyo, Jeddah – Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, is set to send a record-breaking 241,000 hajj pilgrims to Mecca for the 2024 hajj season.

Tika Ayu, Jakarta – Presidential candidate Anies Baswedan promised on Tuesday, Dec. 5, to increase the hajj quota by 20,000-30,000 if he wins the 2024 election.

Adinda Jasmine Prasetyo, Jakarta – The Indonesian government officially set the Hajj quota for 2024 to 241,000 pilgrims; a 20,000 increase from the previous year.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Adinda Jasmine Prasetyo, Jakarta – The Indonesian government and the House of Representatives' (DPR) Commission VIII have reached an agreement to increase the cost o

Agnes Valentina Christa, Jakarta – Following a recent meeting between President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al-Saud, Indonesia has been allowe

Cindy Layan, Jakarta – The Indonesian government will revise the nomenclature used in national holidays commemorating key events in the life of Jesus Christ by replacing the current nam

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas told reporters on Tuesday that the government was still reviewing its plan to allow Indonesian Muslims to ta

Jakarta – The Indonesian government on Sunday urged Muslims to undertake the hajj pilgrimage only once in their lifetime due to the endless queue.

Adi Warsono, Bekasi – The Bekasi Regency Government banned the operation of night entertainment venues ahead of the Islamic New Year 1445 Hijri that falls on Wednesday, July 19, 2023.

Whisnu Bagus Prasetyo, Mina – At least 50 Indonesian pilgrims have died in the Saudi city of Mina while performing the Hajj pilgrimage since June 28, a Religious Affairs Ministry offici

Antara, Jakarta – The Religious Affairs Ministry's Hajj pilgrimage organizing committee (PPIH) has appealed to Hajj pilgrims to not take too many selfies in front of the Kaaba.

Surabaya, East Java – Thousands of Hindu worshippers scaled an active East Java volcano on Monday to toss livestock, food and other offerings into its smoking crater in a centuries-old

Maria Arimbi Haryas P., Magelang – The 32 monks from Thailand who walked thousands of kilometers to Indonesia in part of the Thudong ritual has arrived at the Liong Hok Bio temple, acco

Whisnu Bagus Prasetyo, Jakarta – Indonesia is sending 229,000 pilgrims to perform the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca this year.

Stevani Wijaya, Jakarta – Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas urged local governments to facilitate Eid mass prayer among Muhammadiyah followers scheduled for Friday, which p

Jakarta – Few would doubt, even among Christians, that Easter is less merry compared with Christmas.

Saifulbahri Ismail and Darrelle Ng, Jakarta – Muslims in Indonesia are observing the holy month of Ramadan with mass prayers and traditional activities, following the full lifting of CO

Endy Bayuni, Jakarta – We are only in the first few days of Ramadan and already many Muslims in Indonesia may have failed the test when they joined the chorus on social media condemning

BeritaSatu, Jakarta – The police have arrested a married couple who founded the Naila Syafaah Wisata Mandiri, the umrah agency that scammed hundreds of Indonesian pilgrims with some eve

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Monday instructed his officials to redesign the group iftar budget to help the poor, as questionably wealthy civil servan

Yerica Lai, Jakarta – Government officials have clarified and defended a presidential ban on iftar, breaking-of-the-fast, gatherings for civil servants during the holy month of Ramadan

Antara, Bogor – The Bogor City Government issued a circular prohibiting night entertainment spots from operating during Ramadan 1444 Hijri to maintain security and convenience for Musli

M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ulema Council or MUI chairman Cholil Nafis suggested President Joko Jokowi Widodo should remove the ban on the breaking-of-the-fast gatheri

Hariz Baharudin and Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Jakarta – Indonesia has disallowed gatherings by civil servants for the breaking of fast during the fasting month of Ramadan, a move that has

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung recently clarified that the ban on iftar gatherings only applied to government officials, meaning that the public is free t

Jakarta – Indonesian Muslims began on Thursday the holy month of Ramadan, during which followers of the faith are obliged to refrain from gratifying their base desires from dusk until d

Niniek Karmini, Jakarta – Millions of Muslims in Indonesia are gearing up to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to start on Thursday, with traditions and ceremonies

Bali – No Internet. No shopping. And no flights.

Tamara Davison – Bali's typical soundtrack of construction sites and car horns has been replaced for 24 hours with birdsong and the lapping of waves as the island celebrates its annual

Muhammad Aulia, Jakarta – The government and major Muslim organizations reached a general agreement that the fasting month of Ramadan will begin on Thursday, but the Indonesian Ulema Co

Jakarta – The government and House of Representatives have settled on the fee hike for Indonesians performing the haj this year.

Pribadi Wicaksono (Contributor), Yogyakarta – The Yogyakarta Regional Office of the Religious Affairs Ministry (Kanwil Kemenag) assessed that the waiting time for the hajj pilgrimage in

Bisnis.Com, Jakarta – The Miss Universe 2022 R'Bonney Gabriel of the United States and delegations arrived in Bali and were scheduled to carry out a number of activities, such as photos

Fikri Harish, Jakarta – Despite plans to announce the new haj cost on Monday, discussions between the House of Representatives Commission VIII overseeing religious affairs and officials

Beritasatu, Jakarta – The government's recent proposal of doubling the 2023 hajj costs has sparked concerns among pilgrims, some even willing to give up on their dreams if the price hik

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has said the government has not yet settled on the haj fee for Indonesian pilgrims this year.

Riri Rahayu L Imaji Lasahido, Jakarta – Head of the National Commission on Hajj and Umrah Mustolih Siradj, asserted that the increase in the costs of hajj pilgrimage was for the benefit

Jakarta – For teachers Sutrisno and Sri Wahyuningsih, embarking on the once in a lifetime haj pilgrimage stirs bittersweet emotions.

Jakarta – This weekend Muslims in Indonesia, and around the world, celebrate their first Idul Adha (Day of Sacrifice) of the post-COVID19 pandemic era, thankfully facing much fewer soci

Katharina Reny Lestari – More than 1,600 Indonesia Catholics from 70 countries will participate in the first virtual Easter celebration to be organized by five Catholic groups.

Antara, Jakarta – The Minister of Home Affairs issued a circular on Covid-19 cases prevention during the 2022 Eid gathering.

Jakarta – Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, welcomed the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan with a mass prayer at Jakarta's Istiqlal mosque on Saturday, wit

Jakarta – Fasting is an act of deep self-control, and as Ramadan comes not only in the midst of the prolonged pandemic but also as the world faces dire crises stemming from the war in U