Indonesia is a country that has the largest Muslims population in the world. At least, this is what people in the United States know about Indonesia. Why the United States? Because this is one of the most intriguing countries in the world. I can say so because I have never been in this country before. Now, in this post, I would like to share a bit of my perspective of how being a Muslim in Indonesia. The questions that I would like to discuss are mainly concerned on the way Muslims live in Indonesia and how the word “jihad” is viewed in this country. Please also remember that I am an Indonesian; therefore, I am pretty sure about Muslims in Indonesia.
The life of Muslims in Indonesia (general perspective)
Indonesia, as it is known in the world today, is a country where people are dominantly Muslims. Recently, there are some debates about the controversies of life of Muslims, especially in Indonesia. Some people who are not living in this country sometimes have different point of view of viewing the true of the life of Muslims is. In this post, I would like to give a perspective of the life of Muslims in Indonesia in a general point of view.
In Indonesia, Muslims are seen as people who believe in Islam and the one almighty God, that is Allah SWT. They worship Allah SWT as their God and they follow what Allah SWT teaches them through Qur’an, the holly book of Islam. In living their life, Muslims in Indonesia are facing the dynamics between social and spiritual life. In terms of social life, Muslims in Indonesia are gathered together to form brotherhood and sisterhood to protect their country, Indonesia. They also try to carry out the principle of life by performing the action of solidarity among people. If there are people living in other provinces are having natural disasters, they try to help those people by giving them some helps as the way they can. Meanwhile, in the aspect of spiritual life, Muslims in Indonesia view Islam as religion that determines the way they live. If the religion does not teach them to do certain things, they would basically not do those things. For instance, if they are asked to do prayer five times a day and go to Friday prayer once a week, they will follow that. In other words, the lives of Muslims in Indonesia are reflected through their actions in combining the social and spiritual life. For people who are living in non-Muslims countries, this is the case where some problems might occur. Misunderstanding and misconception might occur but along the way, as more people try to learn about Islam and its teachings, the more they could learn that Islam can be implemented to social life.
Because Muslims have two Sexes, that are Men and Women, it is a good idea for you to know Muslim Men and Muslim Women in Indonesia
Muslim Men in Indonesia
The very basic thing that is considered as a Muslim in Indonesia to do is known as circumcision. This is the action of cutting a part of penis, which is the foreskin of it, in order to follow the order of the prophet Muhammad SAW.. For boys, circumcision is done when the boys are reaching ten to eleven years old, depending on the customs of the regions where the boys are raised. About this circumcision, there are many researchers studying about this thing. One of the benefits of having circumcision is that the men can be avoided from genital diseases due to free-sex, but, free-sex or promiscuity is not allowed in Islam. Therefore, when the boys are growing up to be men, they are asked to get married or doing fasting to control their sexual needs. To be a man in Islam means that you are not allowed drinking alcoholic. It is forbidden as it is said in the Qur’an. Moreover, being a man in Islam means the man should respect and honor parents. Allah SWT teaches through Qur’an that parents are the “door” for Muslims to get into the mercy of Allah SWT. If a man does not follow a good thing to be a Muslim, then, it might be a serious case for him and as a punishment; the man may end up in the hell-fire. The rest of being a man in Islam would be the same as other men in general. However, those basic things should be taken into consideration in viewing what Muslims men are.
Muslim Women in Indonesia
The same case as in Muslim men, circumcision is also done among women but it is done when they are babies. Women are asked to cover themselves by using hijab or burqa because in that way, they are protected through the wilderness of men sexual desires. Women are created in such beautiful ways to attract men as the opposite gender. If the women are wearing dresses as in such almost “naked” outfit, the possibility for her to be “raped” is high. Therefore, Allah SWT asks women to cover themselves by using hijab. If in this way, men are still victimizing her, then, the problem goes to the men because they cannot control their desire and be the slave of their own passion. Muslim Men are trained to do this so that when they “view” women in this way, they would do “istighfar” and try their best to control things that they see about it. Moreover, being Muslim Women in Indonesia means that your rights as women are respected. Recently, there are many job opportunities are opened for women. The forms of the jobs are various depending on their ability and skills. Even one of the presidents of Indonesia is woman, who is Megawati Soekarno Putri. Some ministers in Indonesia are also from women. These show that women are having their balance position in Indonesia together with men. Women are no longer viewed as those who should be in the “kitchen” or “stayed at home” to do domestic things in Indonesia. They have their own ways of life and that makes them having a well-balance of life as a Muslim and as a woman in Indonesia. Nevertheless, the government and the society are still trying to make better condition of life about this matter. Hopefully, their plans and goals in realizing this could be realized as expected by all Indonesian civilians.
The form of happy family in Indonesia
In order to view this topic, note that the meaning of “happiness” would be different among people, depending on where they live. The standard of happiness in Indonesia would be different from the standard of happiness in the United States, the United Kingdom, or in other countries. However, the basic thing is that the members of the family can be united together in religious events or in any social events. The father, mother, and the children are sitting together in their house to celebrate the events. They also have “enough” way of life together that they can share. Apparently, the happiness of a family in Indonesia is the same with other families in the world. They need to educate the children by sending them to school, to fulfill what the members of the family need, and be responsible with the family ties are basic things of happy family in Indonesia.
Unfortunately, though, some news on how Muslims in Indonesia cannot be trusted 100% true because the news are sometimes bias and driven by certain political issues. The best thing you can do to understand Muslims in Indonesia is by visiting Indonesia and see it yourself. But, be careful with what you think because sometimes, what you think can mislead you into subjectivity.
Note:
All pictures above are taken from Internet. To those who own the pictures, I credibly say thank you to you. Jazakillah and syukron!
Sparkling Silent Silhouette 
Sweet blog! I found it while searching on Yahoo News. Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there!
Many thanks
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What is the connection with my post, anyway?
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Superb blog! Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?
I’m planning to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
Would you propose starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option?
There are so many options out there that I’m totally overwhelmed ..
Any tips? Appreciate it!
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Well, I am sorry I don’t have the answer for your question. However, you can start with a free one, and if you are satisfied with it, and you have budget to purchase it every year, you are ready to use a better one. 🙂
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Informasi yang bagus, teman. Saya tidak perlu pakai bahasa Inggris kan, karena saya orang Indonesia juga. Oke Semoga sukses selalu.
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Iya, sama-sama. Terima kasih atas komentarnya ya, Dewa. Salam kembali dan semoga sukses juga berada di tangan Dewa. 🙂
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Really nice style and design and excellent content , nothing at all else we need : D.
PoIuYt
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Thanks, Amanda. 🙂
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Salam Sayyid, I could not find yr email in the blog. Anyway I’m seeking yr permission to use the “Happy Family” picture for personal use.
By the way you have a nice and informative blog.
Thanks,
Saharun
Malaysia
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Salam back, Saharun. Yes, of course, you could use the picture of “Happy Family” from my blog.
And, thank you for your complement to my blog. 🙂
Syayid,
Indonesia
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No problem, it was a good discussion. As for when I said “theocratic country,” I wasn’t just referring to the citizens of Indonesia, I was thinking about the government. One Muslim I met on youtube told me that Indonesia was a “secular country.” He wasn’t an Indonesian though, I think he was Middle-Eastern. When I read the news reports I mentioned in my other posts however, it seemed like the government was Islamic. But I can’t say for sure if that is the case, as I don’t live in Indonesia. That was just the impression I was getting from the reports.
“What the reporters wrote in the news by using Indonesian language would likely be translated inconsistently in English.”
Yes, this part is very important. Language is obviously a barrier when it comes to people understanding each other correctly. But it is even a bigger barrier than I imagined. We can never know for sure when something has been properly translated. Every language works differently. Some words are unique to one language and can not have the proper meaning translated to another language.
I also recently just met another Muslim on youtube, this one from Morocco. There was a video translated from Arabic I think. It was showing a little girl who was saying bad things about Jews, Christians, and atheists. But from what the man from Morocco told me, the video was not translated right. He said the words the girl was using to describe the Jews & Christians were not hateful words, and that the words just had a different meaning in Arabic that was too hard to translate properly into English.
When I took Spanish classes in school, there were also some words and “sayings” that our teachers could not accurately express the meaning of to us.
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Now, things are getting clearer now, Ryan. It’s the language. A video is also a language. 15 minutes video that mocks other nation will bring worse impact if it is viewed by more than a million people worldwide than 1 hour video but watched by only hundreds of people in a certain region or area.
The problem that caused things happening in all these entire human history was merely due to language (In my understanding). For instance, when I say that I am a Muslim, what I think of being a Muslim in Indonesian perspectives might be different from what an American think of being a Muslim like. This can happen because many American do not have the “context” of being a Muslim in Indonesia. They will perceive this as an American. On the other side, when American say something about “helping” other people in other nations, those people might interpret this action differently depending on how they perceive what American do in this case. Anyway, as I believe, if more and more people try to communicate “across borders”, not just using “English” as an international language, I am sure that stability in everywhere will not be that far to reach. Even, English, as a language, it has dynamics, too. It’s interesting, isn’t it? Well, you would not find the same person like me who would talk like I am talking now. That’s why I believe that human, no matter where they are, he or she will have individualized things lies within him or herself. After that, things will go complex than ever before when people try to gather around and to comment on something. Finding something in common among people would be the answer (I think).
Thanks again for commenting on my post.
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Yes your message was very informative. Back when I learned about the story of the beheaded girls I searched for Indonesian news stories to find out more about what had happened and what was being done about it. I found a lot of news reports concerning Indonesia (some from Indonesia, some from UK-based news) and after reading them it seemed like Indonesia was a very theocratic country, and that it was filled with religious violence. I wasn’t considering Indonesia’s geography at the time. As you said, what people do on one Island doesn’t necessarily mean that those on another Island believe the same way or do the same things.
Tragedy ends up on the news a lot more than happy things, that probably goes for all countries. I guess many Indonesian news channels & reporters can be competing for publicity like you said, so they can focus on tragic events to a point that it could lead non-Indonesians such as myself to believe that the whole country is that way. In certain news stories and videos I read that told about religious violence, there were local Indonesians interviewed who would say things in support for violence against the non-Muslims. Unfortunately the biggest problem was that they didn’t interview any of the Indonesians who were against the violence, so it made it look like most Indonesians supported it and that the country as a whole was that way.
But after your last message I think I have a better understanding now. Not all of the Islands and regions on Indonesia are the same, the news just did not explain that part like they should have. They were too caught up in competition and showing chaos, and in doing so they did a disservice to their country. They should have showed the good Indonesians who want progress and not violence, it would have helped outsiders have a more positive view on the country. If they had showed a lot of the moral, open-minded Indonesians like yourself Syayid instead of the narrow-minded ones, then I probably wouldn’t have felt negative about the country.
It’s sad how in this world the news in all countries are so obsessed with tragedy. I understand the need for people to be informed about the things that are going on, but too much tragedy can overwhelm people.
Anyway hopefully Indonesian news starts showing more peace and progress between the different cultural and religious groups. That way more outsiders will want to visit Indonesia. I know that tragedy is a hard thing to look past. I don’t even watch the USA news as much as I used to because I got tired of all the crime.
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Definitely, Ryan. There are still millions of Indonesian people who are also great scientists, writers, and teachers but they just don’t want to speak loud in the public. Even not many of them could speak English well to express their thought. Even in the history, the movement of the intellectuals were not as free as today. The funny thing is, if one case happens, all TV channels will try to report the same tragedy, and even use languages that are sometimes complicated. When the news is translated into English, then, there the chaos happens. What the reporters wrote in the news by using Indonesian language would likely be translated inconsistently in English. This case is added with the limitation of the English-speaking viewers and readers in understanding the context of the news. It is also added with different perspectives in viewing the news.
Sometime, I just assume that some people “pretend” to be Indonesian and “act” such a way to provide what Indonesia is, but, in their point of view. Indonesia is such a multicultural country and even a multilingual country in terms of its creole and pidgin, or the sub-language within Indonesian language. I have seen many American came to Indonesia and they were all fine. Unfortunately, a few of those were not acting as if they were in Indonesia. You know, acting and doing something within the context is good. If Indonesia is such a country with its Muslim population, then, please understand Islam and please meet with local leaders and students who are genuinely Muslims. They have their own point of view. If a Western asked about something to irrelevant people, let’s say, just some common people in the street, they will individually give different responses. In fact, not so many people were literate, just like me. I have friends from other nations and we are just fine. I have never met you, but I am sure you respond about Indonesia because you care and because you find something unique with it. Sadly, what you found was something bad.
Theocratic country? I can’t tell much about this. However, one thing for sure, because many Indonesian students “learn” about this religion, they do embrace it with dignity. They also evaluate its teachings if they are contradicted with logic. That was why, if you compare Indonesian muslims with muslims of other countries, they are slightly different in terms of personality and set of mind, but tend to have similarities in terms of practicing Islamic prayers. Indonesia admits five big religions in the world: Islam, Catholic, Protestant, Buddha, and Hindu. So far, we live one another side by side. Again and again, the news seem to cover this beauty. So, what people see about Indonesia is only the bad one. I have read some other blogs that mention about Islam and Indonesia in such a bad way. Even there were pictures in those blogs that present images to viewers worldwide that, as if, Indonesia is such a bad country. I just could not understand that. If Indonesia is such “that bad”, how could I have a set of mine like I have now? I never travel overseas before. It’s just the same thing with what I perceive about American people long before I arrived here in the US. I tended to think that American people were that “great” and so “perfect” in every case. In fact, I found many of them are just like me. They also make mistakes inadvertently. They need food, home, and needs for their life. So, does that make American and other people in other countries with Indonesian people so different? Well, what I can say is that living in the box is such a nightmare these days. I am so fortunate to receive this scholarship from Fulbright so that I could study in the US and see directly how American people are, BUT, as I said, people are individually unique and different. I can’t say for sure if there is one bad “guy” I met in the street, that guy will likely represent American people as a whole. No way.
I think this concept should apply too in viewing Indonesia as a country and in understanding Indonesian people as its citizens who are, indeed, individually unique and different as well.
I am an open-minded person? Thank you. I love my country and so do other people in the world. All I can say is that we are the same everywhere. People tend to look at differences instead of similarities one another. Too bad, our mind is constructed by what we see and listen. Therefore, to manage and analyze these is crucial. Could everyone do that? Now, my words are, I have no idea.. Someday, there will be times for people to reevaluate texts and things left from history. Were those things representing the “truth”? Then, I have no idea.. So confusing!
Thanks again for commenting on my post, Ryan!
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That’s true, Indonesia’s geography consists of many islands separated from each other. I guess when I think about it, it makes sense that on one island people might have different political/social views than those on another island. For example, I’m assuming that life in Sumatra or Mentawai Islands is probably different than life in Timor or Celebes. Maybe sometimes I (and others as well) assume that no matter the size of a country, the people will generally have the same lifestyle and culture, and that they will all have the same mindset. Here in the USA, although there are 50 states, it seems that for the most part American lifestyle is pretty close to the same in each state. Except for differences in political views, wealth and other things, I think people born here have similar lifestyles. Then again, I haven’t been to the East Coast yet, I live on the West Coast so I’m not 100% sure. Also, our states aren’t separated by water except for Hawaii and Alaska so it’s probably easier for culture and lifestyle to transfer from one state to another.
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As a matter of fact, the cost of travelling from one province to another province in Indonesia is rather expensive for some people in Indonesia. A few of them do not have the same monthly income even lower than $95 a month; therefore, they tend to hold their willingness to travel a lot. You may see some rich people who travel a lot in Indonesia but they are rich mostly because of having a business. I rarely travel to Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. If you meet and compare myself with other people who come from big cities in Indonesia, we tend to have slight differences in terms of mindset, interest, and lifestyles. Somehow, we do understand that we are in one country, that is Indonesia. This is also the reason why Indonesian people mostly embrace Islam. When they are doing a prayer, everyone is equal. Whatever your skin and whatever you come from, when you are in the Masjid, everyone is equal. Everyone, even it includes the president.
To give you an example, just a simple one like this. I come from Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. Therefore, I am a Minangkabau person. A Minangkabau person has Minangkabau culture. This makes Minangkabau people have different life principles compared to other people who are from Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Irian Jaya. Even within Sumatra, people have different perspectives and lifestyles. If you go to North Sumatra (Medan), people in this province will have different life styles than people who come from West Sumatra although we are from the same island. The local language that we speak is also different. Like me, I can speak Minangkabau language but people in Medan cannot because they have their local language, too, which is called as “Batak”. However, one language that unites us all is known as Bahasa Indonesia. We may speak different ethnic language but we are united through the use of Bahasa Indonesia, or, in English, people call it as Indonesian language. There will be a very long history about this.
In the multiple ethnic language condition, many students in Indonesia also learn other languages, such as English, France, Germany, Dutch, Japan, and even Mandarin (Chinese) language. If you really look at Indonesian students, they like to study a lot. They rarely do parties unless to those who are born as “rich”. Many students in Indonesia are poor; therefore, they really admire knowledge and science. You can find these students everywhere in Indonesia. Right now, Indonesian students have a great willingness to study overseas because they want to see the world and share what they have in mind with other people who come from other nations. Indonesian government is also working on solving this case. However, one single student may have different point of views over things that people ask to him or her because it depends on where they have lived and grown up. One student who lives a small town may have different point of view with a student who has lived in big cities in Indonesia.
At that point, I just want to inform that students in small town are genuine. They really welcome people from other countries. They understand that they come from poor family. Their parents could not have enough effort to pay for their schools. Because of Indonesia is a country that has Muslims as its population, then, some of these students are also Muslims family. Fortunately, Islam has a system known as “zakat” where the donation from the rich family go directly to these kids. Right now, a large number of students have received this zakat. Well, as I may hope, things will be better in the future.
Being separated by the oceans and seas make Indonesia is a hard country to manage. We tend to rely on local government, like the governor but the central government like the president is still working as usual. By the way, thanks to Internet and mobile connection so that Indonesian people could contact one another these days. However, sadly, not so many people know the use of Internet and even how to use the cell phone. Again, money is the reason. This is why I always clarify people’s statement when they view one case that is happening in one of provinces in Indonesia becomes a bigger case in Indonesia as a country. If something happens in Sulawesi, it does not mean that it views Indonesia as a whole. Again and again, the news and even reporters try to make a small case becomes “big” so that their television channel has the high rating. For sure, whatever the news is, we, as the viewers should be able to critically think about it. Well, if you live in Indonesia, you will watch thousands of news about crime everyday. Does it mean Indonesia is a place of crimes? I have no idea. But, certainly, the news help Indonesian people to be aware of what is going on around their environment. Some people feel tired listening to crimes but some people think they need to know. The key is in the reporter. If the reporter could manage their language, I believe, the message that they want to deliver would be reliable. Otherwise, as you would see, many people will be ‘afraid’ coming to Indonesia simply because of news. So far as what I have seen, many people who have visited Indonesia will have different response long before they come in the country. Sometimes, there are things that cannot be described with words. Even a video, sometimes, it can be produced for political purposes or for other things. The message that comes to the reader would be different depending on in which aspect the viewers watch the video. At that point, that makes this whole world so chaos. Who will fix that? God? No. It’s our responsibility, isn’t it? That’s where mutual understanding as well as cross cultural understanding are highly crucial these days.
I hope I could answer your response. Thanks for commenting on my post.
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I liked this blog entry. While reading it I noticed some aspects of the Muslims lifestyle are similar to Christianity and Judaism. Circumcision of males being one thing, although I think Jews and Christians mainly do it when the boys are babies. Sexual promiscuity is also looked down upon I believe, though many intentionally ignore that instruction. There are some denominations of Christianity where alcohol is frowned upon too, Mormon being one of them.
As for the women in Indonesia, it is good to hear that more opportunities are being opened up to them. Women all over the world are intelligent and capable of all kinds of jobs, and it is a shame when they are only limited to staying at home as mothers.
“In terms of social life, Muslims in Indonesia are gathered together to form brotherhood and sisterhood to protect their country, Indonesia. ”
Referring to this part, I think it is good for people to want to protect their country. However, I think some groups like the “Islamic Defense League” (if that was their name) take things too far. I saw an interview with one of the members who said that they believe in making preemptive attacks on enemies. Sadly many of those “enemies” are people who mean no harm to anyone. But thankfully I have seen Indonesian Muslims on a world news website who are opposed to the actions of the Islamic Defense League.
I have a question, when you write Allah SWT, what does SWT mean? Thanks.
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Hi Ryan, thanks for commenting and liking my blog post.
To be honest, I never drink alcohol since I was a kid. I have seen lots of people going crazy when they are under alcoholic influence. It doesn’t have to be a Muslim first in order to know the dangerous of consuming alcohol. Drinking alcohol is forbidden in Indonesia; however, still, as in many other countries, people tend to challenge things beyond their capability. If something is forbidden, some “naughty” kids disobey these rules. I have no idea why does that happen. The local and national government is still working on this issue I think.
Sometimes, it’s a choice. Women have good education, but in the same time, they also want to follow their instinct, being a mother. So, being a woman for domestic things or being a woman for “outside of home things”, depends on the way the woman thinks. They have their freedom in Indonesia. They are also protected by the law; even though, this topic has been well-known in West Sumatra for over then hundreds of years. West Sumatra is a matriarchal society in which women are so respected. You could compare this thing with cultures in Java and in some other islands in Indonesia. If you grow up as an Indonesian, Indonesia is such a complex country. People are separated with Islands. This condition makes people’s set of mind are individually different, but they do concern on their nation and country. They have something that is called as “Garuda Didadaku”, meaning, just like the icon of eagle in the US. It is a symbol of spirit. Anyway, being a Muslim needs knowledge from the Qur’an and from “mindset”. That’s why, in Islam, reading or “Iqra” is a must. Human is created with brain in order to “think”. However, if you are crazy, or biologically have no brain, your chance to go to the hell is zero. If you have a mind and understand something as good or bad, then, you have responsibility for what you think. Someone’s mindset depends on the society and where s/he lives, right? Therefore, brotherhood and sisterhood are crucial in Islam. Mother teachers the children while father train them. Everyone tends to treat others like brothers and sisters.
Yes, Indonesian like to live in neighborhood, forming brotherhood and sisterhood. This is why many Indonesian people feel so objected when they receive so many interference from “politics” of other nations. Sometimes, the politics itself are only contributing to small percentage of Indonesian welfare. Anyway, this country gained its freedom in 1945. It means 67 years ago (1945-2012). This country is still developing, but, the development is so good. Depending on how you view Indonesia, Indonesia is not a muslim country. It is a country that has Muslims as its dominant population. Anyway, the case will be even more complex if you could think of this through Indonesian perspectives. What Western people think of Indonesian will be different from what Indonesian people think of the West. Therefore, cross culture understanding is crucial in order to avoid misunderstanding at present and for the future.
For your question, SWT means Subhanahu Wata’ala. This is like a title for Him. Meaning, Allah is the only One God and nothing that can be in similar ways and condition with Him. Only One and Only. Muhammad pbuh is a prophet. Muslims do not pray because of Muhammad, but, because of Allah as their God. Muslims believe that Muhammad is the messenger.
I hope I could answer your questions, Ryan. Let me know if you have any other questions.
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Great post!
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Thank you, Patrick!
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I’d have to examine with you here. Which is not one thing I usually do! I take pleasure in reading a post that may make folks think. Additionally, thanks for permitting me to comment!
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Never mind. It’s a pleasure for me to read your comment, too.
People outside Indonesia just do not understand what and how Indonesia is, especially to those folks who are skeptical about this country.
Anyway, thanks for coming. Your time is highly appreciated!
Syayid
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this article tell about what he mean of islam in indonesia
,,and after i read it ,the whole contents is good and i have some knowledge about it but you must give an explain about the word that you quote sir like ” istighfar ” so readers can understand what the meaning of it.So, people in other countries or other religions can know it
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Thank you for your comment and suggestion, Itfernando.
As I understand, “istighfar” means the way Muslims ask for forgiveness from the God, Allah SWT, for unconsciously and consciously doing a mistake or a sin.
If you have another definition of “istighfar”, you could add it here, too, Itfernando.
Your input is highly expected. ^_^
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