Muslim Societies in Asia Program Speaker Forum

Muslim Societies in Asia Program Speaker Forum

Resisting Fundamentalism: Perspectives from an Indonesian Journalist

By: Teguh Santosa
Journalist, Rakyat Merdeka Daily (Jakarta, Indonesia)
M.A. Candidate, Political Science Department, University of Hawai`i at Manoa

In 2005, Teguh Santosa re-published, in the online version of Rakyat Merdeka Daily, Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten's cartoons that resulted in objections from Danish Muslim organizations. Teguh received death threats by two of the biggest Muslim fundamentalist groups in Indonesia - the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and Indonesian Mujahiddin Council (MMI). These groups accused him of blasphemy which warrants the "death penalty" as the cartoons insulted Islam.

In this presentation Teguh will explain how he resolved this particular dispute with the fundamentalist groups. More importantly, Teguh will highlight the inner workings of these groups, especially the role they play in the politics of Indonesia after the fall of Suharto's New Order.

Since the end of 1990s, Indonesia has witnessed a proliferation of religious violence by fundamentalist and extremist militant Muslim groups. Such violence, done under the name of Islam, has unfortunately increased negative sentiments towards the religion throughout the world, deepening the rift between the "Muslim world" and the "Western world."

Issues that Teguh will discuss include "Are Islamic teachings really compatible with the idea of democracy and pluralism?" and "What is the future of these fundamentalist groups in the New Indonesia?".

About the Speaker

Teguh Santosa is a journalist with Jakarta's Rakyat Merdeka Daily and was previously editor in chief of Rakyat Merdeka Online. Well travelled, he has visited several countries such as Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Uzbekistan, China, and North Korea. He is now working on his masters degree in the political science Department at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa.

His website can be accessed at http://teguhtimur.com/

He can be contacted at teguh_timur@lycos.com

Event Sponsor
School of Pacific and Asian Studies (SPAS), Manoa Campus

More Information
Muslim Societies of Asia, (808) 956-6316, msia@hawaii.edu, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Honolulu-HI/MUSLIM-SOCIETIES-IN-ASIA-University-of-Hawaii/20793199981?

Ongoing Events