Dr. Faried F. Saenong is currently a Resident Scholar at the JD Stout Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington (VUW). He earned a PhD in Anthropology from The Australian National University (ANU), an MA in Islamic Studies from the University of Manchester (UK), and an MA in Islamology from Universiteit Leiden, the Netherlands.
Embracing Moderation: Egypt’s al-Azhar and Indonesia’s Pesantren
Over the past 20 years, Indonesia — the world’s fourth most-populous country and the largest Muslim-majority nation — has evolved into a democracy based on tolerance and a moderate interpretation of Islam, and has emerged as one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies. This essay is part of a series on “Indonesia and the Middle East: Exploring Connections,” which examines the nature, scope, and implications of Indonesia’s ties with the MENA region.
