The throng of people who welcomed the return of Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab might be an indicator of the cleric’s popularity, but political researchers have said that this does not necessarily indicate that Islamic populism is strengthening in Indonesia. Director and professor of Asian Studies at the University of Melbourne Asia Institute Vedi Hadiz said there had yet to exist a political vehicle that allowed Islamic populism to gain a front row seat in Indonesian politics. He studied Islamic populism in Turkey, Egypt and Indonesia and noted several differences. “In Turkey, you’ve had Islamic populism dominating the state. In Egypt, you’ve had Islamic populism dominating civil society. In Indonesia, and this may be controversial to some people, I’d suggest that Islamic populism has failed to dominate either civil society or the ...