{"id":57034,"date":"2023-09-06T10:35:53","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T14:35:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/?p=57034"},"modified":"2023-09-17T17:58:41","modified_gmt":"2023-09-17T21:58:41","slug":"hefner-comments-on-islam-in-indonesia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/2023\/09\/06\/hefner-comments-on-islam-in-indonesia\/","title":{"rendered":"Hefner Comments on Islam in Indonesia"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Robert Hefner. Photo by Melissa Ostrow for Boston University Photography.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On September 4, 2023,\u00a0<\/span>Robert Hefner<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Professor of Anthropology and of International Relations at Boston University\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and Director of the School\u2019s\u00a0Center for the Study of Asia<\/a>, was interviewed by Dr. Muqtedar Khan on his show, Khanversations with Prof. Muqtedar Khan,<\/em><\/a>\u00a0on the nature of Islam in Indonesian government and society.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the interview, Hefner explained how the dominant sect of Islam in Indonesia has evolved over time to become uniquely moderate, especially compared to other Muslim-majority countries. He traced the beginnings of a more moderate doctrine of Islam back to the 1980s, when Abdurrahman Wahid, former leader of the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia, Nahdlatul Ulama, began to advance the idea that democracy, international human rights, and Islam were compatible with each other.<\/p>\n