May 29, 2023 Last Updated 3:00 AM, May 26, 2023

Religion

Impossible ideal?

Cosmopolitanism is a dirty word in rural West Java, where creativity and new words are needed to reopen dialogue.

Stopping intolerance

Government must act to halt growing discrimination against minorities

Turning away from terror

Prison can be a place of radicalisation or rehabilitation

Review: My name is Khan

This Indian film’s popularity reveals a popular critique of the US

Legislating against the supernatural

Indonesia’s parliament is cracking down on sorcery

Reflections of the soul

Art critics welcome exhibition of edgy works on Islamic themes

Joke of the month?

What do you get when you cross Sarah Palin and an Islamic polygamist? Meet Rhoma Irama – Indonesia’s king of dangdut

Born-again cosmopolitan

Pentecostalism and its expressive religiosity resonates with a new generation of Christians  

Taking a nap in the house of God

Mosques provide more than just spiritual salvation during the fasting month

Time bomb in Bali

A culture that suppresses conflict disguises decades-long tensions in Balinese communities

For the good of the people?

The challenges of governing ‘societal organisations’ pose difficult questions for Indonesian democracy

Convenient thugs

FPI thrives when mainstream Muslim groups remain silent

‘You’re crazy. Don’t make up things!’

Celebrity gossip shows denigrate homosexuality, but at least they talk about it

We are the blessed ones

Activists work to change men’s interpretations of Islam that justify their superiority at home

The shadow of the Ayatollah

Indonesia’s Shi’i community is struggling to find the right balance between local traditions and its fascination with Iran

Front stage with the PKS

At its upmarket congress, Indonesia’s biggest Islamic party tried but failed to convince it has become an open and inclusive party

Praying across borders

Doctrinal borders that divide traditionalist and modernist Muslims in Banjarmasin are breaking down, but slowly

Supporting syariah, advancing women

The life and work of an Islamic teacher in Aceh shows that the struggle for gender equality is about much more than syariah.

Latest Articles

Nusantara: capital gain?

May 25, 2023 - PETER WALTERS, IMAM ARDHIANTO, SONIA ROITMAN & RUSLI CAHYADI

Indigenous residents of the new capital city complain about the ‘land mafia’

Photo essay: Minangkabau pig hunting

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Review: Kartini's letters in translation

Apr 03, 2023 - ILSA NELWAN

Now published in both English and Indonesian translation, the annotated collection will provide a better understanding of this Indonesian heroine

‘Tricked by a hoax’

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Truth and irrational violence in West Papua

Photo essay: Welcoming Ramadan in Yogyakarta

Mar 15, 2023 - MARK WOODWARD

In the month before the fasting period, Javanese Muslims perform a diversity of sacred rituals

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A selection of stories from the Indonesian classics and modern writers, periodically published free for Inside Indonesia readers, courtesy of Lontar