Indonesia officially recognizes six religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. The government is now realizing that this rule actually contradicts freedom of religion, rather than encouraging it. They realize many Indonesians practice traditional religions, and are not being recognized. The Religious Affairs Ministry is now working to officially recognize the country’s indigenous religions through a bill on the protection of religious followers, which … [Read more...]

A group of Indonesians were trying to go on hajj, but were detained in Manila because they had forged Philippine passports. Vice President Jusuf Kalla says the travel agency should take responsibility, and that the Indonesians are victims, not suspects. It is believed that they were going on Filipino passports because Saudi Arabia gives every country a hajj quota, and the current Indonesian quota is much smaller than the people who want to go. The current waiting list is 20 years, costing … [Read more...]

Dadang Sunendar, the head of language development for the Culture and Education Ministry recently stated that 139 local Indonesian languages are on the brink of extinction. With 707 languages, Indonesia has the second largest number of languages in the world. Only Papua New Guinea has more, with 839. There are several factors that cause a language to decline, including war, major natural disasters, mixed marriages, and geographical conditions. A language is considered “alive” as long as there is … [Read more...]

It has been almost 10 years since a mud volcano in Sidoarjo began spewing. Since then, the mud has covered an area equal to 650 football fields, completely burying several villages and displacing thousands of people. Thirteen people died when an underground gas pipeline exploded as a result of the spewing mud. Many of those people lost jobs and now are trying to make a meager living through “disaster tourism”, guiding people through the volcano area. To this day, the volcano has not stopped. … [Read more...]

For the first time ever, a non-Muslim woman has been caned under Shariah law in Indonesia. Remita Sinaga was found guilty of selling alcohol, which is illegal in Aceh. Mrs. Sinaga is a Christian and is 60 years old. She received 28 lashes after spending 47 days in jail. Several people have spoken out against this. One of the pastors at Mrs. Sinaga’s church said, “We don’t defend her [breaking the law]. [But] our concern is that the law isn’t in line with the national penal code. … Shariah law … [Read more...]

On Thursday, January 14, at 10:50 a.m., a bomb went off near Sarinah Shopping Center. Over the next few minutes, more bombs went off, including one in a Starbucks. In the hours that followed, police engaged in gunfire with the terrorists. It wasn’t long before ISIS confirmed that they carried out this attack, stating, “In a unique security operation, a group of Islamic State soldiers targeted a group of Crusader citizens who are fighting the Islamic State in Jakarta,” the statement said. “May … [Read more...]

Motorcycle taxis, or “ojeks”, are a popular form of public transportation in Indonesia. Ojeks are typically men, which has caused problems for a couple of reasons. For one thing, conservative Muslim women will not ride a motorbike with a man unless he is a relative because they believe that Islam forbids this. The other reason is safety. There have been reports of attacks on women by ojeks. As a result, several female only motorbike taxis, inspired by Uber, have begun. Ojek Syari, or “Ojesy” … [Read more...]

Adit grew up in a home with a Muslim father and a Catholic mother in Indonesia. His Catholic grandparents often babysat him when he was little, and they told him stories about Jesus, which he liked. But his father hired a Quran tutor so she could learn how to recite the Quran. And in fourth grade, Adit’s tutor told him only Muslims can enter paradise. That was the beginning of his journey to becoming atheist. In his second year of university, he stopped practicing Islam. He stopped praying, … [Read more...]

On Friday, October 16, a mob attacked several churches in Aceh Singkil and burned them down. The mob said that the churches did not have the proper permits to exist. Now, authorities in Aceh are shutting down several churches this week. Authorities have contacted church leaders, and at least 6 churches have agreed to tear down their churches after admitting that they don’t have the proper building permits. They did this because members of the hardline group Islamic Defenders Front demanded that … [Read more...]

On Wednesday, satellite imagery picked up over 600 fire hot spots across Sumatra, with the worst areas being the Jambi, South Sumatra, and Riau provinces. The fires in Jambi are so bad that they have had to close schools. Another big concern in Jambi is that fires are threatening oil pipes that run through the forests there. Half of the fires along the pipelines have been put out, but the other half are still burning. In Riau, helicopters that were water-bombing the fires had to stop because … [Read more...]