Summary: Indonesia is the worldrsquo;s fourth most populous country. It might surprise some to know itrsquo;s also the most populous Muslim country. But that doesnrsquo;t mean there arenrsquo;t other religions to be found on Indonesiarsquo;s islands. Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and even people practicing animus faiths call Indonesia home. For much of the nationrsquo;s history the religions groups have been able to coexist. Over the last several decades, however, tensions have escalated leading some Muslim youth to buy into radicalized ideas of Islam. The tension coupled with the nationrsquo;s struggle to recover from colonialism has lead to violence in recent years -- most visibly the bombings in 2002 and 2005 in Bali. Psychology Of Young Extremists Djamaludin Ancok is a psychology professor at Indonesiarsquo;s Gadjah Mada University. He actually interviewed several of the young jihadis involved in the 2002 Bali bombing in an effort to understand their motivation. He says itrsquo;s more complicated than you hear in the media. ldquo;There are two motivations,rdquo; Ancok says. ldquo;First is the perception of injustice. The second is the perception of the lsquo;purity of the religionrsquo; hellip; what they want to do is create an Islamic state where every rule and regulation depends on the rule from God.rdquo; Indonesia And Interfaith Dialogue Ancok says the situation in Indonesia is different from that within in other countries because Indonesian Islamic jihadi groups specifically target sites associated with the West. Ancok says he sees that as a direct effect of the countryrsquo;s colonial past. The attacks hurt Indonesiarsquo;s economy ndash;- both tourists and companies looking to expand shied away from the country. Ancok says Indonesians recognized that and therersquo;s an active movement to find a way to bring the various religions and ethnic groups together. ldquo;Now more and more people [in] Indonesia start to think about multiculturalism, a multicultural approach and diversity,rdquo; he says. ldquo;And we even build a school, for example, with interreligious departments. You study many different religions with many different teachers in the same place.rdquo; Exaggerated Rifts Although there is an attempt to bring religions together Ancok says he feels like the conflict between Christians and Muslims has been ldquo;blown uprdquo; by the media. The fault lines sometimes do fall along religions borders, but there are other reasons for conflict within a nation as diverse as Indonesia. Rifts can also occur between different ethnic groups as well as between Muslims themselves. The rift between Muslims often happens because of differing interpretations of the Qurrsquo;an and what Islam is. Islam Is Peace ldquo;Islam is about peace; it is not about violence,rdquo; Ancok says. ldquo;These groups always read one verses and ignore the other verses that say you gotta live peacefully with the rest of the peoples.rdquo; Ancok points out the first constitution drawn up by the Prophet Muhammad in Medina stressed the equality of people of different faiths. That no matter what your faith you are entitled to the same rights as anyone else. ldquo;That is being ignored by some of these extremists,rdquo; Ancok says. He says he hopes the push toward a more multicultural society will lead to fewer Indonesians, especially young Indonesians who buy into radicalized ideas of what Islam is.
