Jennie M. Xue

The politics of 'holier than thou'

by Jennie S. Bev

The recent harassment of visiting Canadian author Irshad Manji, police refusal to grant a permit for a Lady Gaga concert in Jakarta and ongoing attacks against worshippers at GKI Yasmin church in Bogor and HKBP Filadelfia church in Bekasi are the latest proofs that Indonesia’s central and local governments are unable and unwilling to protect religious minorities and are blind toward the growing influences of Islamofascism and extremist ulemas. Such ignorance will only give Indonesia a black eye abroad, and at home it will prolong and cultivate the “politics of holier than thou,” which we already can observe from the behavior, reactions and inactions of the country’s politicians.

As the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, Indonesia isn’t very Islamic, according to Scheherazade S Rehman and Hossein Askari in their paper, An Economic Islamicity Index, which was published in the Global Economy Journal. The paper ranked 208 countries on the basis of their adherence to Islamic principles. Indonesia is ranked 104, following Aruba, Antigua and Barbuda, Georgia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Overall, countries with Muslim majorities didn’t do well in the study: the highest ranked was Malaysia at 33rd, followed by Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Brunei, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.

The "Asia Century" and what it means for Indonesia

by Jennie S. Bev

The 21st century is already being referred to as the “Asian century,” which triggers various discourses on its terminological appropriateness, what it entails, how it would affect Indonesia and whether Indonesia's contribution to the pie as a whole would make any difference to the region and the century. Consequently, questions on what would matter to Indonesia in ensuring its own position are likely to arise and, hopefully, can be answered satisfactorily. 

First off, we need to reflect back on the two previous centuries: the 19th century, which was referred to as the European century, and the 20th century, which was called the American century. What are the similarities and differences between the current century and its two predecessors? Does it even worth noting? 

Bridging peoples and cultures with dual citizenship

by Jennie S. Bev

Last August, Dino Patti Djalal, the Indonesian ambassador to the United States, sent an email to Indonesians living there containing an open letter and a photograph of him and his family with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office. The email is part of an interesting new initiative to enable Indonesians who live abroad, in this case the US, to have dual citizenship. Currently, Indonesians are not allowed to hold two passports, and children from mixed marriages must decide by the time they are 18 whether to be Indonesian or take the citizenship of their non-Indonesian parent.

Instead of ruminating about the negative concept of “brain drain,” Djalal’s initiative would illuminate the Indonesian diaspora as an important source of skills and knowledge capital for their motherland, or “soft power” as Joseph Nye, the famed Harvard professor, might say.

It is a great idea, as this seed of discourse may eventually be considered seriously among Indonesian lawmakers and politicians and passed into law. Separately, a petition proposing dual citizenship is also currently circulating among Indonesians living abroad. The first few bricks needed to build this bridge have been laid.