Indonesia Population Muslim: Closer In This Article

Indonesia is one of the countries in Southeast Asia that is not yet well known in the world. However, many countries in the Middle East are familiar with Indonesia because Indonesia is a country with the largest Muslim population in the world.

 

Yes, Indonesia is a country with the largest Muslim population in the world. However, even though it is a country with the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia is not an Islamic country, Indonesia is a republic with a democratic government system (Pancasila Democracy to be precise).

 

If you've been to Bali, you probably won't believe that Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population in the world.

 

It's natural that you don't believe, because you visited the wrong place. Indonesia is a country with various ethnicities and religions. And Bali is not an Islamic region in Indonesia. Bali is an area with a majority of Hindus, and Islam is a minority in Bali.

 

History of Islam and Indonesia in the Past

I won't talk much about Indonesia and Islam in the past, because at that time I was very short on references (I'm still young, LoL).

 

In the past, Indonesia had not yet been formed, and Indonesia was still called Nusantara. So, long before the Dutch came to colonize Indonesia, traders from abroad had already come to Indonesia to do business.

 

It is noted that Hinduism have spread in Indonesia through trade, therefore in Indonesia there are many temples and places of worship for Hindus.

 

Then traders from Arabia traded business to Indonesia and spread the religion of Islam. Islam in Indonesia comes with full of obstacles.

 

There was “a war” to be fought because many did not want to convert to Islam at that time. However, more people want to convert to Islam because there is no caste in Islam (that's what I learned in school).

 

History of Islam in Indonesia at Independence

Islam came through the trade of Arabs to Indonesia, while Christianity came when the Dutch and Portugal colonized Indonesia. That is why in Indonesia there are Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and other religions.

 

When Indonesia was about to declare independence, there was a long debate between the freedom fighters.

 

At that time the majority of Muslims wanted Indonesia to become an Islamic state, but the plan was rejected by the Indonesian people in the east who adhered to Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and others.

 

With a very beautiful policy, the predecessors chose to make Indonesia a republic with the Pancasila democratic system so that there would be no civil war.

 

At the time of independence, several Arab countries were listed as the first countries to support Indonesian independence. One of them is Egypt and several figures in Palestine (this is one of the reasons why until now Indonesia has been very supportive of Palestine).

 

Muslim population in Indonesia

Quoted from en.wikipedia.org: Muslims constitute the largest majority in most areas of Java, Sumatra, West Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi, the coastal areas of Kalimantan, and North Maluku. Muslims form distinct minorities in Papua, Bali, East Nusa Tenggara, parts of North Sumatra, much of the interior of Kalimantan, and North Sulawesi. Together, these Muslim territories originally comprised more than a third of Indonesia prior to the massive transmigration efforts expected by the Suharto government and recent internal migration.

 

It is noted that Indonesia is the country with the 4th largest population after the United States. The list of the 4 most populous countries is as follows (updated in 2021):

1. China: 1,411,000,000
2. India: 1,380.06 million
3. United States: 336,166,000
4. Indonesia: 271,349,889

 

Of the 271,349,000 people in Indonesia, 86.7% are Muslim. Even in 2000 and below, the Muslim population in Indonesia was more than 90%.

 

Reporting from en.reingex.com, it is stated that Indonesia has a Muslim population of 203 million people. The list of 3 countries with the largest number of Muslims is as follows:

1. Indonesia: 203
2. Pakistani: 174
3. Indian: 161

 

In Indonesia, adheres to Sunni Islam with the teachings of the Shafi'i Madzhab. Although there are also those who adhere to the Hanafi, Maliki, and Hambali schools of thought.

 

Although there are some Shia adherents in Indonesia, most Muslims in Indonesia are not in harmony with Shia.

 

The largest Islamic organization in Indonesia is Nahdlatul 'Ulama (NU). This organization was founded on January 31, 1926 and became one of the pioneers in the history of Indonesian independence.

 

Besides NU, there are other Islamic organizations in Indonesia, namely:

• Al Washliyah
• Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah Indonesia (DDII)
• Dewan Masjid Indonesia (DMI)
• Forum Umat Islam (FUI)
• Forum Dakwah Islam Indonesia (FDII)
• Himpunan Ahlussunnah untuk Masyarakat Islami (HASMI)
• Hidayatullah
• Ikatan Cendekiawan Muslim Indonesia (ICMI)
• Ikatan Da'i Indonesia (Ikadi)
• Lembaga Dakwah Kemuliaan Islam (LDKI)
• Lembaga Dakwah Islam Indonesia (LDII)
• Majelis Intelektual dan Ulama Muda Indonesia (MIUMI)
• Majelis Az Zikra
• Majelis Dakwah Islamiyah
• Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI)
• Majelis Tafsir Al-Quran (MTA)
• Mathla'ul Anwar
• Muhammadiyah
• Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)
• Nahdlatul Wathan (NW)
• Pemuda Muslimin Indonesia (Pemuda Muslim)
• Persatuan Islam (Persis)
• Persatuan Islam Tionghoa Indonesia (PITI)
• Persatuan Umat Islam (PUI)
• Persatuan Tarbiyah Islamiyah (Perti)
• Syarikat Islam (SI)
• Wahdah Islamiyah
• BP4
• Syarikat Islam Indonesia (SII)

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