The politics and law of religious governance

Abstract

The 1998 Reformasi introduced significant new developments in religious governance in Indonesia and, at the same time, new tensions. The idea of religious freedom, which is afforded strong support in the amended constitution and has been mainstreamed in new laws, remains in tension with three elements inherited from pre-1998 religious governance. The elements are, first, limited recognition of Indonesian religious diversity, which now becomes a clearer basis of discrimination; second, the notion of harmony, which can include not only advancement or “protection” of religion, but also control over certain forms of religious expression; and third, various efforts to “Islamize” laws and regulations at both the national and local levels. The tensions inherent in the co-existence of those different paradigms of religious governance are played out in the context of progressive developments toward consolidated democracy. This chapter concludes with an assessment of the prospect of a fair and just management of religious diversity in democratic Indonesia.

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