By Gautam K Jha
As the Taliban’s power is gradually eroding in Afghanistan and Pakistan, its influence is increasingly manifesting in Indonesia, where Islamic zealots are mustering support to enact sharia in the Muslim majority regions. Indonesia, once considered the most liberal Muslim majority country where multi-racial and multi-ethnic societies co-existed in complete harmony, is now struggling to reconcile its primordial cultural system with a new wave of pan-Islamic ethos.
Stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata, depicted through wayang – puppet shows – are still an integral part of the country’s culture and traditions. Indonesians still enjoy Ramlila and Mahabharata shows by the puppeteers reverently called dalangs, which may soon be replaced by Islamic preachers who endorse a Wahabi-style social system and are about to implement sharia in Tasikmalaya.
Read the full stroy at Eurasia Review
For more on the subject read: Religious Intolerance In Indonesia - Political Lassitude Or Budgetary Constraint?