Most Indonesian people are Muslims. Countries that do not have a Moslem majority do not know much about the lives of Islamic followers in Moslem countries. There is a term " Islamophobia" because many terror attack actors have an Islamic identity.

Since thousands of years ago, Java and Nusantara have become the majority of Muslim followers. Most people turned to be Muslims after the ruin of the Hinduism era in Java and Sumatra. There was the Mataram Sultanate in Java, the Gowa Sultanate in Sulawesi, and the Aceh and Siak Sultanates in Sumatra.

Some girls performed Sholawat

Those kingdoms of the Sultanates were under Islamic rule. The Sultans and Kings, along with their followers, were all Muslims.

In the 1600s , the Europeans came to Nusantara. They traded at first, but eventually colonized the archipelago. They were Portuguese , Dutch , English. Until now, after the archipelago united into a nation named Indonesia, most the citizens are Muslims.

The tradition of celebrating the Prophet Muhammad has been generated for thousands of years in Indonesia.

Indonesian Muslims and Terrorism

The Dutch colonial government in Indonesia used the word "extremists" to describe Islamic scholars who fought against their imperialism. The word extremists sounds similar to terrorists, but they are different. In the past, the "extremists" were Muslims who fought for freedom from imperialism. While "terrorists " have no pride in the nation.

Some girls performed musical arts song and dance

Terrorism appeared in the late 1990s when the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan for the first time. There was a small group of Indonesian Muslims who participated in military training in Afghanistan under the support of the Taliban until the biggest terror attack in Bali in 2002, which killed hundreds of people.

The difference between Indonesian Islamic teaching and Arab or Middle East.

Islamic scholars in Indonesia, or Ulema, practiced different methods of delivering Islam. They used art, language, music, and other acceptable methods. The result is that most Muslims in Indonesia are more tolerant, and permissible in their differences in the practice of Islamic rituals.

The Islamic scholar delivered Islamic teaching

My Islamic scholars never teach terrorism to their students. The two biggest organizations in Indonesia, Nahdhatul Ulama ( NU) and Muhammadiyah become the standard of Islamic practice in Indonesia. If there is one group of Muslims who teach terrorism, it is not from the two organizations. Surely the teachings come from outside the country of Indonesia.

The actors in the terror attacks in Bali were not from NU and Muhammadiyah. They came from an exclusive organization that was affiliated with Al-Qa'ida and the Taliban.
If you visit Indonesia, you will find a difference in the practice of Islam from the Middle East and the Arab world. Some Indonesian women do not wear hijab even though they are Muslim. Women go to work as men do. Some of the women do men's jobs like driving trucks or repairing electricity.

Mauludan is the old tradition

Mauludan or celebrating the prophet's birthday, is an old tradition that we have kept and practiced until today. In the tradition, there is a teaching of Islam by an Islamic scholar. There are also some arts performances, like Islamic music and songs. Some students perform their skill in reciting Qur'an and Sholawat.
After the performance and teaching about the Prophet history of life, all people eat together. It is the time we get close to the community. We share our food and snacks. It is a very friendly atmosphere. A sense of togetherness is awakened by this event. Groups that deviate and have an understanding of terrorism usually don't want to join events like this.

My boy with his mates
In this event, we also share food with non-Muslims who live in our neighborhood. Non-Muslims feel comfortable living with us even though we are a majority of Muslims. We do not interfere with their worship. If there is a case of a group of non-Muslims being harassed, it is a small case by those who are carried out not by the majority. That's why Indonesian Islam is different from Islam in the Middle East and the Arab world.