Written by Maurisa Zinira

Various studies on democracy show that the quality of democracy in Indonesia has declined. Even though this setback is a global phenomenon, in which a number of countries are also experiencing the same crisis, such a worsening situation in Indonesia is saddening. Saiful Mujani and R. William Liddle in their article “Indonesia: Jokowi Sidelines Democracy” argue that the decline was caused instead by agents/actors themselves, not by external structural factors. They even firmly said that Joko Widodo, the president of Indonesia, was responsible for weakening Indonesia’s democracy considering some observable democratic deterioration during his presidency. read more

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A “Launching-cum-Kick Off Meeting” was held on December 14, 2022, to mark the establishment of an invigorated Regional Office of Geneva-based Globethics in the Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). An MoU was signed earlier this year on July 18 between UGM and Globethics with the hopes to promote faculty/student mobility, collaborative research, joint conferences/workshops, publications and other international collective efforts.

The host of the event, Dean of the UGM Graduate School Professor Dr. Siti Malkhamah, stated the necessity to infuse “ethics and value education” throughout the higher education institution and curriculum. With the more than 20 study programs in the Graduate School as well as the 18 Faculties and one Vocational School in UGM, the collaboration will surely be mutually beneficial. Meanwhile, the Globethics International Board Member and Regional Director, Dr. Dicky Sofjan, who is also a Core Doctoral Faculty in the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS) presented the case on the “Ethical Deficits” in Indonesia. Dr. Sofjan said that the collaboration can bring UGM as an institution, Faculty members and students to be more engaged on the diverse range of issues pertaining to ethics, both inside and outside of the university context. read more

Written by Jekonia Tarigan

Marriage is central to Indonesia’s social fabric and critical in defining socially legitimate relationships. However, marriages often face the threat of divorce due to various factors.[i] As a Muslim majority country, the Indonesian state’s marriage legislation concerns various aspects of classical Islamic law that have the potential to adversely impact women in the realm of divorce. Muslim family law is a crucial determinant of women’s rights in many Muslim settings. Muslim family law is commonly interpreted to stipulate a family structure in which husbands are breadwinners and household leaders, while wives are responsible for the domestic realm and may be expected to obey their husbands. However, the norms and practices in majority Muslim societies have changed, with increasing numbers of women pursuing higher education and careers. Interestingly, today, divorce cases are increasing in Indonesia. read more

Written by Athanasia Safitri

The persistence of ulema-state alliances in the contemporary Middle East has been a debate in our modern days, both religiously and politically. It raises questions as to whether it is still relevant in the context of the situations that are happening these days, and whether it plays any significant role in the development (or underdevelopment) of most Muslim-majority countries. There has been a large implication of authoritarianism in these countries which emanate problems not only compared to the Western countries but also with the terms of world averages. Ahmet T Kuru, Professor of Political Science at San Diego State University, shared his thoughts as an alternative argument in examining the participation of Muslim scholars in the state government. He wrote a book entitled Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment: A Global and Historical Comparison (2019), which argues that neither Islam itself nor Western colonialism holds responsibility for the high levels of authoritarianism and low levels of socioeconomic development in these countries. read more

Written by Jekonia Tarigan

There are various social issues in local and global contexts that should be of concern to the theological thinking of every religion, one of which is the issue of oppression and poverty. It is hoped that theological thoughts directed at social concerns will encourage innovative action to create the common good.[[i]] Theology does not always have to start with digesting the thought of St. Augustine, Karl Barth, or Karl Rahner, but listening to the cry of people who are suffering, poor, oppressed, and marginalized. Following Gayatri Cakravorty Spival, the margin ‘is not a place of weakness or self-deprecation, it is a place pulsating with critical activity, it is alive with argument, controversy, and creative discourse.” That is where theology begins. At its best, theology is done by people at the margins. They are the ones most in need of, and are most eager to challenge and change the status quo from the structures that oppress to those that liberate. This argument and question was presented by Rev. Dr. Shanta Premawardhana at the October 26 Wednesday Forum, a weekly discussion forum organized by the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies and the Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies. Premawardhana is the president of the OMNIA Institute for Contextual Leadership. He currently serves as a member of the board of trustees of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, the board of governors of the National Council of Churches, USA, and the board of directors of Common Cause Illinois. read more

Written by Jekonia Tarigan

The ecological crisis that humans are facing today is rooted in the way humans perceive him/herself, and how they relate, and treat other entities or other creatures, organisms, and the plant. In examining this problem Whitney Bauman argues that it is pivotal to be involved in the discussion by promoting ethical thought and perspectives of a post-human world from animist and new materialist perspectives that depend on a planetary spirituality. This argument was presented at the November 9, 2022 Wednesday Forum, a weekly discussion forum organized by the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies and the Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies. Bauman is an associate professor of religious studies at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. He is also co-founder and co-director of Counterpoint: Navigating Knowledge, a non-profit based in Berlin, Germany that holds public discussions over social and ecological issues related to globalization and climate change. His areas of research interest fall under the theme of “religion, science, and globalization.” His publications include Religion and Ecology: Developing a Planetary Ethic. read more