Religion — Indonesian-style Islam
Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world — 87% of the 275 million inhabitants are Muslims. But Indonesian Islam is unlike anything you know from the Middle East.
The Six Official Religions
Indonesia officially recognizes six religions (every citizen must belong to one):
- Islam (87%): Majority state religion, but not the state religion
- Protestantism (7%): Especially in Papua, North Sulawesi, Flores, Sumba, and among the Batak
- Catholicism (3%): Flores, Timor, parts of Kalimantan
- Hinduism (1.7%): Almost exclusively in Bali, but also Tengger Hindus in Java
- Buddhism (0.8%): Mainly Chinese-Indonesian community
- Confucianism (recognized again since 2006)
Islam Nusantara — The Gentle Islam
The two largest Islamic organizations in the world — Nahdlatul Ulama (90+ million members) and Muhammadiyah (60+ million) — are based in Indonesia and represent a moderate, tolerant Islam that integrates local traditions. Islam Nusantara (Islam of the Archipelago) is a consciously syncretic concept that retains Hindu, Buddhist, and animistic elements.
In practice: In Java, Muslims visit Hindu temples, Gamelan is played in mosques, and the mystical Javanese tradition Kejawen mixes Islamic, Hindu, and animistic elements into something entirely unique.
💡 Tipp
Indonesia is religiously tolerant but not secular. Religious holidays of all six religions are national holidays — including Christmas and Hindu New Year (Nyepi). When visiting a mosque: remove shoes, cover shoulders and knees, women wear a headscarf. Most mosques lend cloths and sarongs at the entrance.
