ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the development and impact of the “Islamic turn” in Indonesia’s foreign policy, paying particular attention to how religious diplomacy connected a diverse range of people, government institutions, and civil society and religious organizations. In the wake of 9/11 and the Arab Spring, Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was keen to promote Indonesia as the model for “moderate Islam” and proof for the compatibility between Islam and democracy. This narrative of Indonesia’s “moderate Islam” was eagerly adopted by countries in the West but did not resonate with co-religionist countries in the Middle East. What counts as “moderate Islam,” even among its proponents in Indonesia, does not easily adhere to Western liberal-secular ideas about citizenship and belonging. In this chapter, I argue that the future success of Indonesia’s public diplomacy strategies will rest on the veracity of the claim that Indonesia is indeed the home of “moderate Islam.”
