Indonesia

Religions

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Religion plays a major role in life in Indonesia. It is stated in the first principle of the state ideology, Pancasila: "belief in the one and only God". A number of different religions are practiced in the country, and their collective influence on the country's political, economical and cultural life is significant. As of 2007, the population was estimated as 234,693,997. Based on the 2000 census, approximately 86.1% were Muslims consisting of SufisShias and Sunnis, 5.7%Protestant, 3% are Catholic, 1.8% Hindu, 3.4% Buddhist and other or unspecified .

The Indonesian Constitution states "every person shall be free to choose and to practice the religion of his/her choice" and "guarantees all persons the freedom of worship, each according to his/her own religion or belief". The government, however, officially only recognizes six religions, namely IslamProtestantismCatholicismHinduismBuddhism 

and Confucianism.

With many different religions practised in Indonesia, conflicts between believers are often unavoidable. Moreover, Indonesia's political leadership has played an important role in the relations between groups, both positively and negatively, including the Dutch East IndiesTransmigration Program, which has caused a number of conflicts in the eastern region of the country.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Indonesia