In last week’s Cabinet reshuffle, one appointment stood out for Indonesia’s vast Muslim majority.

Fachrul Razi, a retired army general with a penchant for stirring debate, had been replaced as religious affairs minister by Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, the chairman of GP Ansor, the youth wing of the nation’s largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).

For keen observers, the switch marked a return to regular practices, in which the Religious Affairs Ministry portfolio would be handed to a senior figure of the NU, as per tradition.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had made the bold move of installing Fachrul in October 2019, drawing ire from the grassroots organization. A close ally of senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan, Fachrul became only the third person of a military background to occupy the post, if only for a year.

In the span of 14 months, the Hanura Party cadre sparked outrage for attempts to ban Muslim dress, cancel hajj pilgrimage departures over pandemic concerns and involve the military in fostering religious harmony.

Experts, however, believe the most recent leadership change had served to accentuate Jokowi’s intent to maintain stability in the face of heightened tensions with hardline ideological groups.

Recent trends show that strands of Islamic groups outside of NU and Muhammadiyah, the country’s second-largest Muslim group, had begun to proliferate again, aggressively occupying public spaces with their provocative rhetoric.

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