A man standing in front of an Indonesia mosque's facade behind a crowd of worshippers

Islamisation Through Democratisation? Deciphering Calls for Islamic Law in Contemporary Indonesia

Tuesday 14th March 2017, 6.30 - 8.00pm; Room TW1.G.01, Tower 1
Speakers: Dr Michael Buehler, Dr Chris Chaplin; Chair: Dr Jürgen Haacke

Indonesia has, within the 21st century, seen a growing political acceptability for conservative Islamic activism that (often successfully) seeks to regulate public behaviour in accordance with religious dictums. Indeed, politicians and their Islamic sympathisers have sought a bigger role for the state in upholding morality, leading to the implementation of approximately 440 religious inspired pieces of local (provincial government and below) Sharia legislation. Yet, does this underline a shift towards Islamisation?

This panel discusses the finer points as to how democracy has provided opportunities for politicians and Islamic organisations to push an Islamic agenda, arguing that Islamic policies are less dependent on a coherent policy of Islamisation but rather rely on local alliances and socio-political circumstances. 

Download and listen to the podcast here

Speakers

buehler-michael

Michael Buehler is a Senior Lecturer in Comparative Politics in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).

chaplin-chris

Chris Chaplin is a postdoctoral researcher at the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV) and a Visiting Fellow at LSE SEAC for the Lent Term 2017.


Chair

haacke-jurgen

Jürgen Haacke is Director of the Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre and Associate Professor of International Relations at LSE.