Indonesia’s Covid-19 Surge: Contradictions and Criticism
Max Lane
Indonesia’s latest Covid-19 surge has piled pressure on the Widodo government, which is under pressure to reconsider some form of lockdown to rein in the spread of the coronavirus.

Max Lane
Indonesia’s latest Covid-19 surge has piled pressure on the Widodo government, which is under pressure to reconsider some form of lockdown to rein in the spread of the coronavirus.
Syafiq Hasyim
The run-up to hajj 2021 saw the opponents of the Jokowi government opportunistically exploiting the issue to undermine the government. This reflects poorly on the quality of political debate in Indonesia today.
Syafiq Hasyim
The banning of FPI (Front Pembela Islam) in December 2020 may have reduced the incidence of vigilante actions in Indonesia. But this belies the fact that mainstream Muslim organisations have increasingly stepped in to uphold more conservative Islamic strictures, albeit through less confrontational ways.
Norshahril Saat|Nur Syafiqah Mohd Taufek
The growing popularity of media savvy celebrity preachers – not all of whom are theologically well-trained – could erode the quality of Islamic discourse in the longer term.
Sharifah Afra Alatas
As Malaysia battles a new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Muslim leaders and preachers have been instrumental in fighting vaccine hesitancy among their followers.
Syafiq Hasyim
In 2020, Eid-al-Fitri was a national superspreader event. This year the government and Muslim organisations were better prepared.
A'an Suryana|Nur Syafiqah Mohd Taufek
The radical Salafi ideology of Muhammad Rizieq Shihab and the Islamic Defender’s Front (FPI) have been at the centre of attention and study for quite a while. Islam in Indonesia, however, is not monolithic – there are some strands which are moderate. The recent retreat of radical and conservative Muslims following pressure from the Joko Widodo government provides a timely opportunity for proponents of moderate Islam to boost their presence on social media – a crucial battleground in the war of religious ideas.
Norshahril Saat
The recent detention of a 20-year Singaporean here under the Internal Security Act underscores the need for Muslims to differentiate the religious and geopolitical aspects of the long-running Arab-Israeli conflict.
A'an Suryana
His style might appeal less to social media users, but Ahmad Bahauddin Nursalim has gained a following in Indonesia for his intellectual capacity.
Ahmad Najib Burhani
Regulating the hijab has long been a tool for both sides in Indonesia’s identity politics struggle.