Monday, April 16, 2007

Tolerance, Religon and Democracy In Indonesia

I have long held the view that Indonesia and Malaysia are exemplars for Pakistan: moderate and tolerant countries which are Muslim but not Islamic. Anyways, here's an interesting article on Indonesia and the seeming paradox of the danger of rising intolerance with the onset of democracy. As political space has opened up, it has opened up for everyone, including radical Islamist parties and groups. Luckily, Indonesians by and large seem to be actively shunning these elements. Can we say the same about Pakistan?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

When the Islamists win in Indonesia, the national airline will change its name from Garuda (Sanskrit) to something Arabic, perhaps Altair?