Shallow Pluralism and Indigenous Communities in Indonesia By Jear Nenohai Since the passing of Indonesia’s Minister of Education and Culture Regulation no. 27 of 2016, concerning “Education Services for Belief in God Almighty in Education Units,” indigenous communities and adherents to (or community local beliefs and practices not understood as religion) Read more
Crocodiles are Our Twins: Recognizing Animals as Persons By Andi Alfian In 2020, a group of Bugis people in Makassar City, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, discovered a crocodile emerging from the Tallo River, which they believed was their collective relative, and the incarnation of their ancestors. In the Bugis community we Read more
Muslims and Christians in Community: Pluralism in the Philosophies of Bela and Tara Miti Tomi Nuku By Jear N D K Nenohai Kampung Ilawe is a small village located between the hillside and shore of Mutiara bay, one of district Alor’s in East Nusa Tenggara most popular tourist spots. A Read more
Nature, Indigenous Rights, and Industry: On the Relocation of Indonesia’s Capital to East Borneo By Fany Hakim In January 2022, I was assigned to host the Thursday Online Forum (Forum Kamisan Daring) event held by the Intersectoral Collaboration for Indigenous Religion (ICIR) Rumah Bersama in Indonesia. ICIR is a network Read more
The Role of Indigenous Women in Ecological Activism: Deforestation in North Sumatra By Bibi Suprianto The deforestation of indigenous peoples’ land in North Sumatra is a long, ongoing problem. One such community is the indigenous people of Pandumaan Sipituhuta. The homeland of this community is in Tano Batak, Humbang Hasundatan Read more
Globalization and Buddhism in Indonesia: Building Myanmar’s Shwedagon Pagoda By Yulianti According to the 2021 data of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there are approximately 2,033,608 Indonesians practicing Buddhism which is equal to 0.74% of the total population. About 237.53 million people or 86.9% of the population practices Islam, and Read more
Point / Counterpoint: A Debate about Islamophobia, Christophobia, and Religious Freedom This week, we publish another example of “Point / Counterpoint” discussions on the Blog. Klemens Ludwig starts with his take on Islamophobia and Christophobia; Rachel Woodlock then responds to his claims from her point of view. Point: Islamophobia? Christophobia? Read more