Indonesia – Diversity Under Threat” brings to light the nuances of Indonesian life, where Islamists are gaining leverage in a country that is widely considered as a model state for diversity and tolerance. With its 17,000 islands and over 270 million people, Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim country. While its democratic core and initial role-model stance were praised worldwide, the recent years have seen the rise and proliferation of Islamist groups, a phenomenon that signifies a significant shift for the largest Muslim democracy in the world.
The documentary begins in Aceh, the northernmost province of Sumatra, where Islamic Sharia law governs the people’s lives, including public floggings for specific crimes such as sex outside marriage. However, the influences of conservative Islam are not merely limited to that region – they are slowly creeping into several secular parts of the country. The veil, for instance, has become a popular motif, with more women going out in public wearing hijabs or burqas. Members of minority groups feel marginalized, and politicians are increasingly capitulating to radical and populist groups. In this documentary, viewers are given an in-depth and prescient analysis of a country that is struggling to preserve its identity and tolerance amid growing intolerance across the world.
