Hefner Comments on Islam in Indonesia
On September 4, 2023, Robert Hefner, Professor of Anthropology and of International Relations at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and Director of the School’s Center for the Study of Asia, was interviewed by Dr. Muqtedar Khan on his show, Khanversations with Prof. Muqtedar Khan, on the nature of Islam in Indonesian government and society.
In the interview, Hefner explained how the dominant sect of Islam in Indonesia has evolved over time to become uniquely moderate, especially compared to other Muslim-majority countries. He traced the beginnings of a more moderate doctrine of Islam back to the 1980s, when Abdurrahman Wahid, former leader of the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia, Nahdlatul Ulama, began to advance the idea that democracy, international human rights, and Islam were compatible with each other.
Watch the full video on the Khanversations with Prof. Muqtedar Khan YouTube channel.
Robert Hefner has directed 19 research projects and organized 18 international conferences, and authored or edited nineteen books. He is the former president of the Association for Asian Studies. At CURA, he directed the program on Islam and civil society since 1991; coordinated interdisciplinary research and public policy programs on religion, pluralism, and world affairs; and is currently involved in two research projects: “The New Western Plurality and Civic Coexistence: Muslims, Catholics, and Secularists in North America and Western Europe”; and “Sharia Transitions: Islamic Law and Ethical Plurality in the Contemporary World.” Read more about Professor Hefner on his faculty profile.