Indonesia – Many students support Islamic caliphate
Reuters, Jakarta 02 November 2017
Nearly 20 percent of high school and university students in Indonesia support the establishment of a caliphate in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country over the current secular government, a new survey showed this week.
The vast majority of Indonesians practise a moderate form of Islam and the country has sizeable minorities of Hindus, Christians, and people who adhere to traditional beliefs. Religious diversity is enshrined in its constitution.
The survey by a Jakarta-based organisation polled over 4,200 Muslim students.
Nearly one in four students said they were, to varying degrees, ready to wage jihad to achieve a caliphate.
The survey showed that the vast majority of students disagree with the establishment of an Islamic caliphate and violence.
But authorities have repeatedly warned against the creeping influence of radical Islamic thought among student organisations and in campus activities.