Indonesia’s Hospitable Democracy

Although much scholarly work has been done to present the depth and diversity of Islam around the world, positive encounters between Islam and Christianity in modern democracies continue to merit exploration. Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim majority nation, includes organizations and thinkers at the forefront of re-examining assumptions of Islamic orthodoxy.

This article will present the current activities of Humanitarian Islam and its partnership with Christian organizations to build peace and shared civilizational values. Unique partnerships like this are possible through Muslim reform efforts, which have been underrepresented. These significant efforts are partly conceivable due to two Indonesian thought leaders, Nurcholish Madjid and Abdurrahman Wahid, who made significant contributions to Indonesian expressions of Islam. Two recent events in Indonesia show the progress and challenge for Christian minorities in Muslim majority contexts. While tension remains, Muslim reform efforts in Indonesia suggest possibilities for Islam’s peaceful integration with modern democracy and establishing conditions where Christian minority communities can thrive.