Thu, 20 Jun 2019 08:30-12:00 - PRIO, Hausmanns gate 3, Oslo
Welcome to a breakfast seminar co-hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia and PRIO.
Despite being the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, Indonesia has not had a central place in European discussions of the changing social and political role of Islam. This seminar aims to contribute to correcting this by providing an arena for critical discussion of the interplay between politics, religion and civil society in Indonesia today. In particular, the seminar will focus on an apparent rise in religious and political radicalism in Indonesia and the way in which civil society is pushing back against this trend. What lessons can be learnt from the Indonesian case? How does this relate to the social and political role of Islam in other countries in the region?
Indonesia has a strong tradition of moderate Islam. However, more radical strains of Islam are on the rise and questions of religious identity are playing an increasingly significant role in Indonesian politics, not least in the recent general election. Civil society organisations have played a central role in cementing the influence of moderate forms of Islam in Indonesia. This seminar will interrogate the ongoing role of these organisations as a counterweight to radicalisation and religious intolerance.
The seminar will be conducted in English and is open for all.