Authorities are placating extremists, writes Tom Allard in Indonesia.
Ulil Abshar Abdalla is one of Indonesia’s most perceptive intellectuals, a Harvard-educated Islamic reformer and an adviser to the President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
When asked what has happened to Islam in Indonesia since the September 11 attacks, he says: ”I think there has been a trend towards intolerance … there is also a trend towards tolerance.”
It’s an odd response, but it captures succinctly the vexing paradox that lies within Australia’s near neighbour and the nation with the world’s largest Muslim population.
Categories: Human Rights, Indonesia