no. 52 October-
December 1997		   In this issue

Imagining Islam
  How do Westerners think about Islam? Some feel repelled by images of fanaticism. Others feel a twinge of nostalgia for what they themselves have lost. But frankly, most secularised Westerners have trouble imagining a deeply religious society. That is why we are devoting an issue of Inside Indonesia to it. No other country has more Muslims than Indonesia. We need help to understand such a religious society right next door to Australia.

Religion and politics have a lot to say to each other. Ideas about the ideal society such as justice and equality for all have religious roots. If all Muslims in Indonesia should agree those in power are unjust beyond all bounds, no armed force can keep them down. Hence the interest in linking Islam with opposition. Of course in reality so many can never all agree. That is why George Aditjondro points out a variety of ways in which Islam says 'No'.

Greg Barton, on the contrary, suggests we don't rush into linking Islam with opposition. In the past, Indonesian Islamic organisations have preferred keeping the peace to stirring the pot. Who is right? We leave the verdict to you, the reader.

Theory aside, we need some down-to-earth pictures of real Indonesian Muslims. The issue you hold in your hands provides them. People like Kiai Alawy, whom some call the Ayatollah of Madura, or like the matriarchal activist Ibu Alfiyah, put flesh and blood on what we might think Islam is. So do people like the young Mukti Ali (later Minister of Religious Affairs), who moved his sights from Egypt to Canada, or the middle class catechists at Paramadina. Or Djohan Effendi's surprising image of young progressives emerging from traditionalist Islam.

One of the most enjoyable games for an editor is to see how much they can squeeze between two covers separated by just 33 pages. This time we have squeezed in a lot! 'Mas Sujoko' recalls what the graffiti around Yogyakarta said during the election. Andreas Harsono travels to Burma and talks with top Slorc officials about their respect for Indonesia's military.

Ahmad Sofian reveals a little-known aspect of child labour in the Malacca Straits. Suara Independen provides a glimpse of a glittering elite who use state money to help prop up their ailing banks. Jay Losher writes from the US about the impact one Indonesian banker had on the presidential elections.

And, for light relief, take a look at David Hill and Krishna Sen's piece on the rock'n'roll scene. Or at our extra big book reviews and resources sections.