Religion in Indonesia

Religion In Indonesia

Religion in Indonesia (2010)

The first principle of Indonesia's philosophical foundation, Pancasila, is "belief in the one and only God". A number of different religions are practiced in the country, and their collective influence on the country's political, economic and cultural life is significant. The Indonesian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. However, the government only recognizes six official religions (Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism). Indonesian law requires that every Indonesian citizen hold an identity card that identifies that person with one of these six religions, although citizens may be able to leave that section blank. Indonesia does not recognize agnosticism or atheism, and blasphemy is illegal. In the 2010 Indonesian census, 87.18% of Indonesians identified themselves as Muslim (predominantly Sunnis, also including Shias and Ahmadis), 6.96% Protestant, 2.91% Catholic, 1.69% Hindu, 0.72% Buddhist, 0.05% Khong Hu Chu, 0.13% other, and 0.38% unstated or not asked.

With many different religions practiced in Indonesia, conflicts between followers of different religions arise periodically. Moreover, Indonesia's political leadership has played an important role in the relations between groups, both positively and negatively, including the Transmigration Program, which has caused a number of conflicts in the eastern region of the country.