More Indonesians drawn to caliphate

Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim country. Pancasila, the pluralist doctrine on which it is based, is being gradually eroded.

Jun 28, 2019

JAKARTA: Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim country. Pancasila, the pluralist doctrine on which it is based, is being gradually eroded. This is partly the result of the growth of ideologies that promote the caliphate, a trend that is attracting more and more Indonesians.

Pancasila “is now starting to get corroded. It won’t be too much of a problem today, but [it might be] in the next 20-30 years. If we let this happen, the leaders of tomorrow, who might still be college students now, but may become the president, army commander, or police chief, and if they adopt the caliphate, it would be the end of this nation,” Ryamizard Ryacudu said at the headquarters of the Armed Forces (TNI) in East Jakarta.

A ministry study found that significant segments of Indonesian society are questioning Pancasila. About 23.4 per cent of university students agree with the idea of jihad to establish an Islamic state or caliphate. About 23.3 per cent of school students also say they prefer the latter.

The caliphate draws support across the board: private sector, civil service, state-owned enterprises. Indeed, the Defence Ministry study found that 9.1 per cent of respondents do not agree with the ideology of Pancasila.

“Among soldiers, about 3 per cent disapprove of this philosophy,” Ryamizard said. For him, this “is devastating.” If Pancasila should fail, the nation will be dragged into the same situation that afflicts the Middle East, he lamented. -- AsiaNews

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