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Alexander R. Arifianto is a Research Fellow with the Indonesia Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University. He is an expert in Indonesian domestic politics, especially on political Islam and regional politics in Indonesia. He earned his Ph.D. in political science from Arizona State University in 2012, with a dissertation comparing Indonesia’s two largest Islamic organizations, the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah. Dr. Arifianto has published his works in a number of refereed journals, including Asian Politics and Policy, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, and Journal of Southeast Asian Economies (formerly ASEAN Economic Bulletin).
Democracy, Inclusion and Political Moderation: Lessons from Religious Movements in the Middle East and Indonesia
There is a longstanding argument that inclusion in the political process can moderate Islamist groups. Looking at the evolution of Islamic movements in Egypt and in Indonesia, this essay suggests that patterns of informal inclusion, the nature of regime repression and the role of state ideology can all have significant impacts on the diversity of religious life and mass appeal of reformist voices.
