Workshop on Islam, Freedom,
and Democracy in Contemporary Indonesia

Indonesia is the world's third largest democracy and the world's largest majority-Muslim nation. It is also one of the world's most diverse countries, with millions of adherents each of Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism, as well as hundreds of ethnic groups spread across thousands of islands. Since its independence in 1945, issues of religion and ethnicity have been a common theme in social discourse, but Indonesia has remained a bastion of pluralism both by law and in practice. Today, eight years after Indonesia's transition to democracy, issues of liberalism and modernism have come to dominate popular discourse on Islam. Recently, the influential conservative clerical group the Council of Indonesian Ulemas (MUI) issued fatwas (religious edicts) declaring, among other things, that religious teachings influenced by pluralism, liberalism and secularism are against Islam. These fatwas have the support of a number of Muslim mass organizations. Modernist Islamic organizations such as the Revival of the Ulemas (Nahdlatul Ulama) have opposed these rulings, and have argued that Islam teaches tolerance and respect in the tradition of Indonesian pluralism. Proponents of the pluralist view include former President Abdurrahman Wahid and many other respected Muslim politicians and scholars.

Given this debate, what is the future for Islam, freedom, and democracy in Indonesia? Topics for this workshop will include doctrinal considerations from the Qur'an and Islamic scholars, religious cooperation among Islam and other faiths in Indonesia, the interplay of religion and ethnicity among Indonesians, the future of conservative Islam as a political movement in Indonesia, Indonesia's future as a secular state, Indonesia's place in the global Muslim community (ummah), and the problem of violence between hard-line Muslims and both "deviationist" sects (Ahmadiyah) and Christians. These topics are relevant not only for the study of contemporary Indonesia, but also for the study of Islam, modernism, and politics throughout the world. The workshop is free and open to the public.

Guest speakers:

Ulil Abshar-Abdalla, Indonesia's leading voice in liberal Islamic thought. Ulil is a graduate of several highly respected Indonesia pesantren (Islamic schools), and leads the Program on Research and Development of Human Resources for Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia's leading Islamic civic organization. He currently serves as Coordinator of the Liberal Islam Network (Jaringan Islam Liberal) as well as a Director of the Freedom Institute: Center for Democracy, Nationalism, and Market Economy Studies in Jakarta.

Imam Muhammad Shamsi Ali is Deputy Imam of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York, the largest Islamic Center in the City, and Director of Jamaica Muslim Center, the largest mosque in Queens area, New York. He is also an Advisor to the Indonesian Muslim Students Association of North America.

R. William Liddle, Professor of Political Science, Ohio State University. Professor Liddle is the leading American expert on modern Indonesian politics. He has authored dozens of books and articles in English and Indonesian, including New Patterns of Islamic Politics in Democratic Indonesia; Islam, Political Culture, and Democratization; and Crafting Indonesian Democracy.

Additional speakers : tba

Saturday, April 8, 2006 , 9.00 A.M.
Luce Hall, Room 202, 34 Hillhouse Ave., New Haven


E-mail seas@yale.edu to be added for announcements