Law and Politics of Blasphemy in Indonesia

This book examines the persistence of blasphemy provisions, their increasing use in post-authoritarian Indonesia and the extent to which religion has been instrumentalised for political ends justified by law.

Based on empirical research and an analysis of more than a hundred court decisions that connects evidence to theoretical discussions, this book traces the evolution and dynamics of capitalism in relation to the nature of legal order and the operation of laws, particularly those related to religion. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the author offers a rich analysis of the competing discourses on blasphemy in Indonesia. The work bridges the literatures of law and other social sciences. Providing an updated analysis of Indonesian blasphemy laws, this book also aims to shed light on the dynamics of legal order that affect how and why such laws exist. Rather than merely documenting regulations on and cases of blasphemy, the study aims to further understand the operation of law as a reflection of power relations. Specifically, the book reveals that the persistence of blasphemy laws has more to do with the illiberal nature of Indonesia’s legal order, which renders laws that privilege religious orthodoxy a practical instrument for religious mobilisation for political purposes, than with the cultural distinctiveness of Indonesian society or the lack of modern bureaucratic and legal institutions supporting secularisation, as many scholars have argued.

Offering original contribution to scholarship on blasphemy, the politicisation of religion and illiberalism in democracies, this book will be of interest to academics in the field of Asian politics, law and Southeast Asia studies.