Political Islam in Indonesia
Despite having the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia seldom troubles others and so draws little attention in the West. But last month’s imprisonment of the governor of the capital, Jakarta, on charges of blasphemy has properly brought it to the front pages. It may signal that the world’s third-largest democracy is sliding into authoritarian or Islamist rule.
The jailed governor is Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, universally known as “Ahok,” who is ethnic Chinese in a country with abundant anti-Chinese prejudice and Christian in a country that is 88 percent Muslim.
