Religious Affairs

While roughly 89% of the country’s citizens subscribe to Islamic beliefs, according to official government statistics, the country prides itself on its tolerance and diversity. There are six officially recognised religions in Indonesia according to the constitution, which guarantees the rights of citizens to practice their religion freely. The Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) oversees not just issues relating to the majority religion of Islam, but of all officially recognised religions. For example, MoRA oversees religious schools, over 97.7% of which are madrassas and other Islamic learning facilities. This chapter contains an interview with Suryadharma Ali, Minister of Religious Affairs.