From Politics of Islam to Terrorism: Discovering the Roots of Islamophobia in Indonesia

Abstract

Islamophobia is an issue that has affected both minority and majority Muslim communities in many countries, including Indonesia. To gain a deeper understanding of Islamophobia in Indonesia, this study focuses on two of eight components of Islamophobia identified by Sabri Ciftci (2012), namely, Islam is perceived as a political ideology and is associated with violence. Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, including historical-comparative and survey, the authors explore how the Indonesian government has dealt with Islamophobia since the Old and New Order periods. This research also delves into how Islamophobia has impacted minority Christians and moderate Muslims during the Reform Era, where Islam is often associated with religious intolerance and terrorism. The results indicate that Islamophobia in Indonesia has three primary root causes linked to certain Islamic societal behaviour: political tensions between Islamic fundamentalists and nationalists regarding the state ideology, religious tensions between radical Muslims and Christians resulting in intolerance, and acts of terrorism using Islamic symbols. This research concludes Islamophobia in Indonesia has switched from the government to the community level, requiring the government policy to eliminate Islamophobia in a pluralistic society.