Indonesia: Islamist uprising exposed in new law to ban sexual freedom and apostasy

The recent approval of a controversial reform of the Indonesian penal code that prohibits sexual freedom and apostasyamong other ultra-conservative changes, testifies to the growing influence of radical Islamism in Indonesia, threatening its liberal and secular tradition.

Indonesia, the world’s most Muslim nation and the planet’s third-largest democracy, has garnered attention in recent weeks due to disparate circumstances: despite earning praise this year for its outspoken G20 host, ongoing legal reform with archaic overtones caused surprise.

This reform, supported parliament December 6, is punishable by imprisonment for up to one year. sexual intercourse out of wedlock and with a maximum of three insults against the President, in addition to the prohibition against apostasy for the first time.

Apart from exposing the decline in freedoms that these changes imply for the archipelago, both the reform and the success of the G20 are not just contradictions, but the product of an adaptive style. the president Joko Widodo during his second and final term.

Rise of Islam and Radical Groups

A country with secular and pluralistic traditions, as stated in its founding ideology, is called “Pancasila”, created after gaining independence from Netherlands in 1945 – faced with the rise of religious and Islamist movements.

As many as 40 percent of Indonesians believe they follow more Islamic precepts than their parents, according to a poll this year by Wunderman Thompson, compared to 26 percent of Malaysians, another Muslim-majority country.

For its part, a September poll by the Lembaga Survei Indonesia (LSI) group showed that 12.5% ​​of respondents (out of about 1,200) supported legislation based on Sharia (Islamic law), compared to 3.2% who supported him in 2017.

“Over the past two decades, more than 700 Sharia norms have been adopted in Indonesia (at the national, regional and local levels), Andreas Harsono, an Indonesian researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW), told EFE.

Islamization, which, according to Harsono, is partly due to the proliferation of religious schools that receive large funding from Saudi Arabia- and the “emergence of local Islamist groups” that turned Indonesia into a regional epicenter of jihadist groups.

REFORM, CONCESSION TO RELIGIOUS GROUPS

Growth Islam This is also reflected in two types of political groups in Indonesia: nationalist ones like the Widodo faction and Islamic parties, explains Johannes Nugroho, an Indonesian political analyst and journalist, in an article published by The Straits Times.

Thus, the initiative against “free sex” is an adaptation to the demands of religious parties seeking to create a punishment system that is more in line with Sharia, especially a radical one. Justice and Prosperity Party (PKC)which in 2017 promoted a reform explicitly banning homosexual sex.

” new reform In short, this is an unfortunate compromise between the two dominant political forces. Indonesia: secularists, who are usually called nationalists, and Islamists,” says Nugroho.

The penal changes lower the tone that the Islamists are aiming for, as they do not contain any mention of LGBT community – While the criminalization of extramarital sex de facto prohibits homosexual relationshipssince only heterosexual marriages are legal, and limit the power of denunciation to close relatives.

DELICATE GAME

Although the Jokowi coalition, which includes Islamic groups- has an overwhelming majority in the lower house, the president could rush into reform that has been expected for decades, and it will still take 3 years to implement it – in case the Islamists gain strength before the 2024 elections.

It would also be a way to satisfy the most religious part of his electorate before being nominated for an election, when he could present himself as vice president in order to maintain his influence.

Thus, a ban on insulting the President would be specifically aimed at limiting radicals that he is accused of “atheism”, and only he himself can bring a complaint.

A complex carambola that satisfies almost no one and infuriates, for apparently different reasons, both Islamists and human rights activists or the international community by the fact that UN asks the government to step back.

“This is a disastrous reform. While the government says the criticism is disproportionate, that doesn’t change the fact that the law is very vague and remains open to interpretation,” said Yohanes Suleiman, associate professor of international relations at Jenderal Ahmad University. EFE Yani from Indonesia.

Suleiman warns of the reform’s impact on Indonesia’s image – “anyone can sleep with a tourist or an investor and then blackmail him,” he muses, threatening his good performance in the international arena, especially after Widodo’s efforts to integrate with all parties. , Russia included in the G20.

The same strategy by which the leader now adapts to the requirements Islamic groupsa tough game as Indonesia becomes an increasingly important modern country with the potential to become the world’s fourth largest economy by 2045.

EFE