Indonesia

Pancasila

Pancasila (Sanskrit, lit. “five principles”) is the state ideology of Indonesia, influenced by Hinduism and kejawen, the traditional religion of the Javanese. The Pancasila ideology is a compulsory subject at schools and universities. It is a crime to distort, undermine, or deviate from the ideology. The Army has to preserve the existing social order, including this ideology. Pancasila is supposed to guarantee peace, harmony, and national unity. It is a form of civic religion. In the period of the New Order government (Orde Baru, 1965–1998), all religions had to include it as their basis (azaz). The first sila or “moral precept” is the belief in the Lord, who is One (Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa). This conflicts with the beliefs of nontheistic religions, such as Buddhism or Confucianism. Muslims doubt whether Tuhan Yang Maha Esa can be identified with Allah, revealed in the Qur'an. Since the fall of the Suharto regime, however, criticism has been allowed. Muslim organizations and churches abolished in their constitution the reference to Pancasila. Muslim militants have been using the new freedom of the press and of organization to press for changes in the law to accommodate Shari'a. In 1999, Shari'a was introduced in the Indonesian territory of Aceh. At the same time pela gandong, the peaceful coexistence of Christians and Muslims in the Maluku islands, broke down, leading to a bloody conflict between the adherents of the two religions.

Animism

The oldest religion of Indonesia is animism. It is characterized by a belief in a magical causation. It believes in the power and efficacy of witchcraft or sorcery (ngelmu or sihir), of the witchdoctor (dukun santet), black magic (guna guna), and amulets (azimat or jimat). Also, white magic is practiced, such as fortune telling, love magic, healing massage, and other forms. Rapuh is a sorcery designed to make victims suffer throughout their lifetime, while sihir is believed to have the power to kill persons from a distance. A more sophisticated version of this system of belief is kejawen or kebatinan (lit. “inwardness”). This is the mysticism of the Javanese higher class (priyayi). These beliefs and practices are still very much alive. The Slametan communal feast, for instance, is still the core ritual in Javanese society. It is celebrated at births, circumcisions, marriages, and deaths but also on Muslim holidays and on specific occasions such as in preparation for a long journey or at the opening of a new shop. The ceremony consists of speeches, prayers, Arabic chants, readings from the Qur'an, the burning of incense, and the eating of a meal consisting of rice cones and meat. The spirits are also supposed to take part in the meal. The ceremony aims at appeasing spirits and celebrates fellowship among the participants. In several areas, the tribal religion is still alive, such as with the Kombai and Korowai of southern Papua, the Punan of Kalimantan, the Sakkadei of the island of Siburut off western Sumatra, the Kubu of Sumatra, and the majority of the people of Sumba.

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