Principles Of Indonesia

Pancasila is the official philosophical foundation of Indonesian state. It is made up of five principles which are interlinked and inseparable:

Belief in the one and only God

Just and civilised humanity

The unity of Indonesia

Democracy

Social justice

The Indonesian government officially recognises six religions – Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism.

Islam is the dominant religion in Indonesia. In fact, Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, with approximately 203 million Muslims. That’s 88.2% of the entire national population!

Historically, Indonesia’s residents were mostly Buddhists and Hindus. Islam first appeared in Indonesia around the 3rd century, having been introduced by Arab traders, although its spread did not begin until the 8th century. The first people to adopt the religion were the traders and rulers, who, with their large social influence, then spread it to the rest of the Indonesian people. By the end of the 16th century, Islam had taken over Buddhism and Hinduism as the dominant religion in Java and Sumatra. The...