Athanasia Safitri

Cited Syed Hussein Alatas’ definition of corruption as ‘passion for luxurious living’, Dicky Sofjan, MA, MPP., Ph.D, a Core Doctoral Faculty in the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS), expressed his view on ethical and responsible governance in Indonesia. He presented three analytical frameworks explaining the significant challenges to governance in Indonesia: 1) ethical deficit; 2) hyper-rationalism; and 3) elite intransigence.

He shared his insight on a podcast organized by BPIP – Badan Pembinaan Ideologi Pancasila (National Agency for Pancasila Ideology Development) earlier this year in Medan. The podcast series is an effort to promote Pancasila values and collaborate with various stakeholders. Sofjan’s expertise on ethics as well as his active participation as Vice President in Globethics, an international NGO working for ethical leadership through higher education and global engagement, puts a sympathetic perspective on this issue. read more

Hongsok Lee

The large-scale plantation agriculture that began in the colonial era is still practised in the Indonesian archipelago, although the management has changed to large-scale agricultural companies. Colonial plantations in the Dutch East Indies relied heavily on the unfree labour of colonial workers. There are two common explanations for why this was the case. First, because colonial power was absolute, and second, because of the colonialists’ belief that only coercion could free the “lazy natives” from their idleness (Li 2017, 249). Even in today’s Indonesia, indigenous smallholders experience inequality due to the overwhelming difference in capital compared to large-scale agricultural companies. The “lazy natives” frame, used by Western colonialists in the Indonesian archipelago, has also been used by Indonesians since the New Order era to discriminate against indigenous people. Another problem with modern large-scale plantation agriculture is the problem of monoculture, which leads to ecosystem destruction and a lack of biodiversity. These are the challenges facing the Dayak Benuaq community in Kalimantan today. read more

Refan Aditya

‘… we hereby enquire for your participation to display Chinese New Year ornaments such as lanterns and Mei Hwa flowers in the area of your respective offices as a tribute to the devotees of the Confucian religion.’

The words above, including the bolded part, is quoted from a release issued by the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs to religious institutions throughout Indonesia, including State Religious High School (PTKIN). This authorised instruction is none other than to welcome the Chinese New Year or Imlek New Year/Sincia to come. Intriguingly, the bolded word speaks volumes. read more

The issue of waste in Yogyakarta has received attention from various groups. Since the closure of the Piyungan landfill in July 2023, the accumulation of waste in various locations has been expressed through the jargon “Jogja Darurat Sampah” by many groups. The waste generated in Yogyakarta mainly consists of organic waste, plastics, paper, and other recyclables. Organic waste, such as food scraps, makes up a significant portion of the city’s waste. The improper disposal of plastic waste, especially single-use plastics, is another major environmental concern. Additionally, the lack of sufficient public awareness about waste sorting and recycling exacerbates the problem. The government and the community, especially environmental groups and activists, have become increasingly active in finding solutions, both through policy development, awareness-raising campaigns, and concrete actions. read more

Athanasia Safitri

Socio-ecological crises occur inevitably in the small islands of Indonesia. The condition is sometimes not addressed properly by government policy. Underestimating the problem, along with continuous abuse of the land, will eventually harm the earth. It also affects social relationships among the state, the private sector, and the community involved. Approaches have been taken to tackle the problem, including from the perspective of religions.

These issues were discussed during a webinar held by Magister Sosiologi Agama of IAIN Ambon on December 18, 2024, titled Understanding Socio-ecological Crisis of the Small Islands with the Perspective of Religions and Ecology. Mega Rizky Sia of KORA Maluku presented the socio-ecological crisis in the Moluccas islands, Dr. Zainal Bagir of ICRS UGM shared his insights on the relation between religions and environment recovery, while Dr. Saidan Ernas of IAIN Ambon offered Islamic ecotheology to safeguard the nature. read more

David Akbar Hasyemi Rafsanjani

Photography is a powerful art and visual medium for depicting various aspects of life, including religious themes. In the context of religion, photography has an important role in capturing symbols, rituals, and the lives of religious people, and can be a medium to build understanding and tolerance among religious communities, especially in Indonesia. ICRS in collaboration with the Humanities Studies Study Program of Duta Wacana Christian University (UKDW) organized a photography discussion “Lintas Agama dari Mata Kamera”. read more

Hongsok Lee

Religion can create conflict, but it can also be a source of cooperation and peace (McBride & Richardson, 2012). If different religions work together to solve the problems that exist in the world, this is what many people expect from religion today. Environmental issues are one of the most urgent of the many problems that exist in the world today. Interreligious cooperation can help solve these problems.

The Monthly Conversation on Religion and Ecology in December 2024 focused on environmental education projects at MI Ma’arif Bego (madrassa) and SD Nahdlatul Ulama Sleman (elementary school). The project at MI Ma’arif Bego was carried out by Khusnul Harsul Lisan and his team, while the project at SD Nahdlatul Ulama was carried out by Mustamid and his team. The environmental education projects at the two schools focused on what to do with paper waste and food waste, respectively. The researchers and assistants of the project are all affiliated with Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Yogyakarta. read more

Athanasia Safitri

Indonesia has seen ups and downs due to various conflicts and threats to peace from the colonial era, post-independence, and now during the era of democracy. The experiences have shown the connections between the development of democracy, peacebuilding initiatives, and conflict resolution decisions. The reflections that take place afterward inevitably come with multidisciplinary and intersectional approaches in the hope of the realization of a better democracy for Indonesia.

A national seminar titled “Conflict Resolution and Peace Experiences in the Context of Indonesia’s Future Democracy” was held on November 28, 2024, to address the issue. It is a forum for exchanging experiences, learning from best practices, and developing strategic goals in Indonesian democracy, peacebuilding, and conflict resolution. It is a component of UGM’s 75th Anniversary and 15th Lustrum events which touch several fields including those in relation to conflicts violating freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). read more

Athanasia Safitri

Politics in the Netherlands and Indonesia share something in common as their recent elections have made two populists win; Geert Wilders in November 2023 and Prabowo Subianto in February 2024. Polarisation has increased inevitably since various social media platforms get massive attention and play a major role in political campaigns and debates. Despite the success of the freedom of speech and expression, as well as the full practice of democracy, divisions have developed between elites at the grassroots level in several areas, including religions. read more

Hongsok Lee

The last presenter at the Wednesday Forum was Subkhani Kusuma Dewi. She teaches in the Hadith Department at UIN Sunan Kalijaga and recently completed her PhD study at Western Sydney University. Her research focuses on Sufi-based practice of short pilgrimage to Mecca (umrah) in the interweaving pilgrimage field of Java, Indonesia. Her work contributes to current discussions on digital anthropology and material religion by using hybrid ethnography tools in the context of the pandemic.

Her presentation is part of her thesis about the practice of the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the practice of the pilgrimage among Indonesian Muslims. She argues that the Internet media sector has emerged as a developed economic sector in this practice, which has increased significantly during the pandemic. Her research has uncovered two notable changes in Indonesian practitioners. The first change occurred during the transition to the new normal, face-to-face engagement was replaced by a reliance on virtual modes of pilgrimage. Indonesian travel agencies developed a phenomenon among pilgrims called networked individualism (networked community; Campbell, 2022), where individuals and leaders stay in their own spaces and maintain virtual religious gatherings. Second, the pandemic has contributed to the rise of proxy pilgrimages, where religious leaders represent pilgrims and provide live-streaming options. While the recent phenomenon has resulted in some modifications to Islamic guidelines (Badal Hajj/Umrah), pilgrims’ interest in new ways of traveling attests to a changing perception of the spatiality and materiality of the Indonesian Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. read more