Violence, Sectarianism, and the Politics of Religion: Articulations of Anti-Shi‘a Discourses in Indonesia

Beginning in April 2000, Indonesian Shi'a communities have been the target of violent attacks, with an escalating increase in reported incidents since 2006. Houses and schools have been burnt down, individuals have had stones thrown at them, and praying sessions have been forcefully disbanded. Across the Muslim world this is hardly news, as sectarian strife has plagued the Middle East and South Asia for decades, if not longer. In Indonesia, however, these attacks are, indeed, a new phenomenon, and one that I am reticent to label as strictly "sectarian" in its origin.* 1