Being an Atheist in Indonesia & Web 2.0

I accidentally found this Facebook page: Indonesian Atheists. Why this is so interesting for me? Mostly because being an atheist is illegal in Indonesia (surprising, yes?)

Source: Screen-captured from IA Facebook Page

However, it is the way it is. As explained in this Jakarta Post article (June 18, 2012) the first of five principles of Pancasila, the state ideology, inscribed in the Preamble to the Constitution, is “Believe in the One Supreme God”. It is further explained in a lower law, a government regulation, which further narrows down the choices for citizens by stating that only six religions (Islam, Christianity, Roman Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism) are recognized by the state.

So how about those who do not believe in God? Through the eyes of the state, you are being outside the constitution: You simply cannot. Well, at least, you have to choose one out of six religions in the religion column in your national ID (And NO, you cannot leave it blank). It is difficult to publicly come out when you are an atheist. I am not only talking about negative social stigma but also on how you can get threats or being assaulted by local radical Islamic groups.

The existence of this Facebook page shows that these religious minorities finally have a medium to get connected and openly discuss their beliefs. It is always amazing how web 2.0 provides room for those whose voices are suppressed in the real life. Unsurprisingly, this is a closed group and since I am not joining I cannot look further into the contents being shared there.

Although I believe that this is a small step toward freedom of religion and social inclusion in the country, members still have to be extra careful. One sad example is from the case of Alexander Aan in June 2012, which also got covered in this New York Times article:  Embrace of atheism put an Indonesian in prison (May 3, 2014). Mr. Aan got convicted for trying to incite religious hatred under the electronic information law and sentenced him to two and a half years in prison only because he was publicly expressing his belief through social media. Yes, my country still have many homework to work on and one simple Facebook page might open the door to create public discourses regarding the matter.