Navigating identity, domestic politics and diplomacy: Indonesia’s foreign policy approaches to Islamophobia

Since 9/11, Islamophobia has evolved into a pervasive global issue, marked by rising incidents of hate speech, violent extremism and opposition to Muslim migration in the West. Many Muslim countries have been trying to address this challenge with Indonesia playing a key role being the largest Muslim country. This was particularly the highlight of the President Jokowi’s era (2014-24). To understand domestic and external drivers of foreign policy decision-making in Indonesia vis-à-vis Islamophobia under Jokowi, this research uses primary and secondary data, including in-person interviews in Indonesia. The findings underscore Indonesia’s proactive engagement in addressing Islamophobia through unilateral, bilateral and multilateral initiatives. This research argues that Indonesia’s anti-Islamophobia diplomacy emerged from the domestic construction of Islamic identity and strategic mobilisation of moderate Islam under Jokowi, which served both to strengthen political legitimacy and to shape the country’s foreign policy decision-making.