Asked if they were intolerant of minorities, more than half said yes, with mainstream Muslims not only drawing lines between themselves and non-Muslims, but also against other Muslim minority communities such as the Shi'ite and Ahmadiyah.
Source/Credit: Starits Times
By Francis Chan | November 15, 2017
Indonesia's youth today are often seen as a force for change in a country which, despite its rich ethnic diversity, continues to wrestle with racial and religious intolerance.
But the findings of two new surveys, out in recent weeks, are challenging this long-held narrative.
The first found that one in every five students supports the formation of a caliphate over a secular government, while more than half in a second poll said they were intolerant of minorities, including those from other smaller Islamic sects.
The results are disconcerting because unlike past surveys, the latest studies were focused on high school and university students - young people thought to hold broader world views due to their education.
...
Researchers from the Jakarta-based Centre for the Study of Islam and Society (PPIM), which conducted one of the studies, entitled their report Api dalam Sekam, the Indonesian phrase for a hidden fire.
When used in political discourse in this part of the world, it refers to a lurking danger, and indeed, the centre's findings seem to have uncovered an unseen threat to Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, Indonesia's state motto of "Unity in Diversity".
The PPIM survey covered more than 1,800 high school and university students in 34 provinces across Indonesia last month.
Almost 60 per cent admitted to having "radical" religious attitudes. Asked if they were intolerant of minorities, more than half said yes, with mainstream Muslims not only drawing lines between themselves and non-Muslims, but also against other Muslim minority communities such as the Shi'ite and Ahmadiyah.
Almost a third had no problems with intolerant acts committed by others against minorities, while almost 90 per cent said the government should ban heretical groups.
PPIM director Saiful Umam said that there is cause for concern because although the current situation is not "particularly dangerous just yet, there is a tendency that (intolerance among youth) will grow".
The other survey by polling firm Alvara involved more than 4,200 Muslim students, mostly from top schools and universities in Java, the island where half of Indonesia's population live and work. It found that nearly one in four students, to varying degrees, was ready to fight to establish an Islamic caliphate, Reuters reported earlier this month.
The findings indicate that radical teachings may have infiltrated Indonesia's elite schools, said the Alvara pollsters.
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Read original post here: Indonesia: 'Hidden fire' of intolerance among country's young
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