Nur Hadi, Surabaya – Surabaya District Court has sentenced cleric Alfian Tanjung to two years in prison in a hate speech case.

A village in Tangerang Regency, just outside of Jakarta, has been accused of religious intolerance after a photo of a circular going around the village containing strict regulations on the religiou

Jakarta – Following its strong rejection of a Constitutional Court ruling that grants the acknowledgment of native faiths, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has issued a recommendation suggesting

The decision by Indonesia's Constitutional Court to allow followers of Indonesia's numerous indigenous faiths (collectively grouped under the term Aliran Kepercayaan) to declare their beliefs on th

Celebrity musician, failed politician and Nazi-apparel aficionado Ahmad Dhani was officially named a suspect for spreading hate speech online by the Jakarta Police yesterday over a tweet in which h

Amirullah, Jakarta – Indonesia's largest Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) has called on the government to address radicalism issues by, among others, monitoring the development of religiou

Panca Nugraha, Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has said that the government appreciates the role of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) as Indonesia's biggest Islamic organization in

Many people are concerned about a rise in religious intolerance throughout Indonesia, and one of the prime examples used to illustrate those concerns is the highly politicized blasphemy charges and

Jakarta – Sectarian and religious lines exploited during the gubernatorial election period has given Jakarta the status of "most intolerant city in Indonesia," a survey conducted by human rights gr

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – The two largest Islamic organizations in Indonesia, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, have welcomed a recent Constitutional Court ruling that grants native-fa

Jewel Topsfield and Karuni Rompies – Dewi Kanti adheres to a traditional Indonesian religious belief system known as Sunda Wiwitan, which venerates the power of nature and the spirit of ancestors.

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court granted a judicial review request on Tuesday to challenge the 2013 Civil Administration Law that will pave way for Indonesian native-faith

While Indonesia's 1945 Constitution actually enshrines the right of all of its citizens to believe in God through whatever faith they choose, the government only officially recognizes six major rel

Moses Ompusunggu, Jakarta – Jakarta-based rights group Setara Institute has lauded a Constitutional Court ruling that paves the way for native faith followers to declare their faiths on their ID ca

Andreas Harsono – Indonesia's beleaguered religious minority groups got some rare good news today.

Jakarta – According to one member of the House of Representatives, the rise of identity politics in Indonesia must be countered to preserve the country's rich diversity and warm relations between a

Anton Hermansyah, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has appointed Muhammad Sirajuddin "Din" Syamsuddin, the former Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chairman and former chairman of Indonesia's

Jeffrey Hutton – At the Orion Plaza in the North Jakarta suburb of Glodok, Along Jenggot solders a connector onto a satellite dish cable.

Jakarta – A special service to observe the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation, set to take place in Yogyakarta on Friday (20/10), had to be canceled amid threats of religi

Theresia Sufa, Bogor, West Java – Young leaders of different religious beliefs came together on Sunday for the 2017 Social Communication Festival (Festkom) to promote religious harmony.

Aman Rochman and Apriadi Gunawan, Malang, East Java and Medan, North Sumatra – Indonesians across the country celebrated on Thursday the Islamic New Year with traditional festivities and rituals.

Jakarta – The Jakarta Police arrested Alfian Tanjung, a former lecturer at Jakarta's Muhammadiyah University of Prof. Dr.

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – Hundreds of students in Yogyakarta have conveyed their pledge to uphold tolerance and maintain unity amid growing religious tension and sectarianism.

Alif Satria – Much existing commentary on supposed conservative trends in Indonesian Islam, either in media or opinion pieces, tends to forget the distinction between identity and behav

Tuban (East Java) – Indonesia has urged officials to stand up to mob pressure after Muslim and nationalist protesters called for a 30m-tall statue of a Chinese deity erected in a temple complex in

Ryan Kilpatrick – The managers of a temple in Tuban, a town in the Indonesian province of East Java, appear to have sidestepped a showdown with devoutly Muslim citizens over the recent installation

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Surabaya, East Java – The recent demand of a group pushing for the demolition of a statue of war god Kongco Kwan Sing Tee Koen at the Kwan Sing Bio Chinese temple in Tuban, Ea

Max Walden – Ahmadi and Shia Muslims, Christians and other religious minorities are being increasingly targeted by radical Muslims in Indonesia, according to an investigative report by a Christian

Jakarta – The head of the Ministry of Religion's Interfaith Harmony Forum said on Monday (31/07) that the government is currently drafting a law that will guarantee the rights of religious minoriti

Margareth S.

The misnamed religious rights bill is nothing less than a repackaging of highly toxic regulations against religious minorities in Indonesia. – Andreas Harsono, Senior Indonesia Researcher

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – Former US president Barack Obama has said that Indonesia, with its Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) principles, could inspire other Muslim countries in pr

Arya Dipa, Bandung – "That we should also make friends with those who share other religious beliefs."

Jakarta – The Jakarta Cathedral canceled three morning masses to allow Muslims to perform Ied prayer at the Istiqlal Mosque, which is located just across the street.

Callistasia Anggun Wijaya, Jakarta – Ahmadiyah mosque in Sawangan, Depok, became the target of vandalism a day before Idul Fitri, as a group of people reportedly threw eggs and paint at the mosque

Jakarta – Followers of Ahmadiyah in Depok, West Java, say they are hoping the local administration will unseal their mosque so that they can celebrate Idul Fitri there on Sunday.

Andreas Harsono – Indonesia's besieged Ahmadiyah religious community is fighting back.

Jakarta – Ma'ruf Amin, chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council, or MUI, said on Monday (19/06) while visiting the Indonesian Military headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, that Indonesia is not

Jakarta – The constantly persecuted Ahmadiyah religious sect's followers in Depok, West Java, are planning to file a lawsuit against the city administration for sealing their Al-Hidayah Mosque.

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – Followers of the Ahmadiyah religious sect are hoping to meet with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to tell the country's leader to revoke the 2008 joint ministerial

Jakarta – The South Jakarta District Court has found a man guilty of spreading hate speech on social media against non-active Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama and his brother guilty o

Jakarta – The Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI) questioned on Monday the decision of the Depok city administration in West Java forbidding Ahmadis from using a mosque that belongs to one of t

Depok – A week into Ramadhan, authorities of Depok city in West Java reportedly sealed on late Saturday a mosque belonging to an Ahmadiyah congregation, a minority Muslim group that has long been p

Indonesian officials say no bibles were burnt in an incident last week which preceded unrest in the Papua provincial capital Jayapura.

Khairiah Rahman – The Facebook account of Afi Nihaya Faradisa, an Indonesian high school student from the village of Banyuwangi in eastern Java who has inspired thousands of netizens, has been susp

Jakarta – Legal experts are showing differences of opinion over the need to revoke the blasphemy articles in Indonesia's penal code in a debate that has erupted after non-active Jakarta governor Ba

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – Indonesians have called on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to immediately repeal Article 156a on religious blasphemy of the Criminal Code (KUHP), with thousands of

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – The public has called on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to immediately repeal Article 156a on religious blasphemy of the Criminal Code (KUHP), with thousands of pe

Margareth S.

The high-pressure climax to a blasphemy trial in Jakarta involving the city's Christian Chinese governor has laid bare some of the forces at work in Indonesia, and the perilous nature of democracy