Your comments on the views of Jeremy Menchik, a professor from Boston University'€™s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, who said in his 224-page book Islam and Democracy in Indonesia: Tolerance without Liberalism that democratic values such as freedom and equality were more common in secular states.

So how do you explain the existence of the Religious Affairs Ministry? A majority of the Indonesian elite is fairly religious. Regardless of what you think about the Indonesian elite, the fact remains that their political views and arguments may not depart form the values of Pancasila, which is all about faith. Other wise their views would be seen as unconstitutional, and therefore liable to be ignored.

Jalasveva

Many countries have religious affairs ministries. However, in Indonesia, the name of the ministry is misleading, since it covers and represents, for the most part, only the interests of Sunni Islam.

Conversely, in Malaysia, for example, the equivalent ministry focuses on the interests of all minorities, including religious minorities.

The West doesn'€™t define secular government. Several Western democracies are constitutional monarchies with a monarch of a specified religion, yet are considered secular. The issue is whether or not religious plays a part in the day-to-day government of the country, rather than constitutional technicalities.

OB

A Religious Affairs Ministry, blasphemy laws, laws preventing interfaith marriage, enforced religious assimilation (see ID cards) and a constitution that does not recognize certain faiths or atheism. That is
not secular as I define it.

Nate78

Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise men as false, by the rulers as useful.

Useful as a political tool, useful to harass LGBT, useful as a facade to hide the downfall of the economy.

When God is with you, you are not yourself.

AG

Democracy in Islamic world actually started with the Prophet Muhammad himself when he was elected as the leader of Medina by many different tribes chief and religions heads.

Jalas
_______________________________

Topic of the day

Overseas job fraud

Overseas employment is not always a good opportunity for Indonesians as workers have to remain wary of fraudulent practices plaguing offers to work in countries that can provide greater prosperity. The police revealed on Friday that they were investigating three separate cases of the illegal transportation of Indonesian workers to South Korea, the Netherlands and Turkey. What do you think?

Send your thoughts by email, SMS, Twitter or Facebook. Include your name and city.

Popular

Is Indonesia really ready to embrace dual citizenship?

Tens of thousands seek better lives in Jakarta. But is the city losing its draw?

Elon Musk's Starlink granted licences to operate in Indonesia