Jakarta. Religious freedom advocacy group Setara Institute claimed they have identified a worrying state of religious conservatism among high school students in Jakarta and Bandung, West Java, two of the biggest cities in the country, in a survey released on Tuesday (24/05).
According to the study, 69 percent of the 760 students surveyed believe that social and political affairs should be regulated by religious values while 58 percent say they want the Sharia law to be implemented in Indonesia. Only 17 percent disagree with the implementation of Sharia law in the country, with the rest abstaining from answering.
The survey also suggests that although 86 percent of respondents believe democracy is the best system for Indonesia, 11 percent of those surveyed think Indonesia should adopt the caliphate system.
When asked if they would vote for someone of different religion as their regional leader 38 percent of the respondents said “no.” 30.8 percent said they wouldn’t even vote for someone of different religion to be their student association president.
The survey also says that 36 percent of the respondents agree that minority groups like the Ahmadis should have their activities curbed.
According to Setara, 88 percent of the respondents were Muslim, 9.2 percent Christian, 2.6 percent Catholic and o.1 percent Hindu. There was no Buddhist. 57 percent of the respondents were male and 43 percent female.
Setara deputy chairman Bonar Tigor Naipospos said the study shows a worrying picture of conservatism and intolerance among teens, exacerbated by a lack of open discussions about religion in class or at home and an abundance of hate speech and messages online.
Bonar said steps must be taken to address the issue as soon as possible, otherwise many teens will grow up with overtly conservative ideas.
Source : Jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com