Carnegie Council's Asia Dialogues program is leading a weeklong fact-finding trip to Yogyakarta, Indonesia, during October 2017. Amid growing Islamophobia and populism in Europe and the United States, a more complete picture of Islam is crucial, and as the world's largest Muslim nation, Indonesia has the potential to shape the way the world's fastest growing and most contentious religion is perceived worldwide.
Religion and Tolerance in Indonesia (pluralism vs extremism)
As the largest Muslim nation, Indonesia has the potential to shape the way the world's fastest growing and most contentious religion is perceived worldwide. While Indonesia has decided not to join the Saudi-led military alliance against terrorism, Indonesian Muslims are adding their own voice to the global, multifaceted narrative by promoting peace and tolerance via the activities of Nahdatul Ulama, the country's largest Muslim organization that was founded as a counterforce to Wahhabism, which has been promoted in Java by Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Indonesian Islam has been called possible "counter-narrative" to radical Islam, and President Joko Widodo has spoken of the aspiration that Indonesia serve as a "leading light" in the Islamic world. Amid growing Islamophobia and populism in Europe and the United States, a more complete picture of Islam is crucial, and Indonesia can serve as an ideal case study to provide such a broader view.
Here are the Pacific Delegates who will be traveling to Yogyakarta, Indonesia to research these issues in October 2017:
Gullnaz Baig (Singapore) is a Ph.D. candidate in international history at the London School of Economics. She was formerly a senior policy analyst in Singapore.
Philip Caruso (U.S.) is a candidate for JD and MBA degrees at Harvard University, where he is a Tillman Scholar. He serves as the secretary of The COMMIT Foundation, a non-profit organization helping veterans transition from military service, and is a member of the Truman National Security Project.
Daniil Davydof (U.S.) is manager of global security intelligence at AT-RISK International and director of social media for the World Affairs Council of Palm Beach.
Darlene Machell de Leon Espena (Philippines) received her Ph.D. in history from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and specializes in Southeast Asian films, politics, and history.
Alicia Izharuddin (Malaysia) is a senior lecturer in gender studies at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Yukari Kayama (Japan) is an associate at the Mitsubishi Corporation, engaging in the investment of electric power projects in Latin America.
Jiyoung Kim (South Korea) is a research associate at University of California, San Diego focusing on evidence-driven development policy in developing countries.
Nyi Nyi Kyaw (Myanmar) is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Asian Legal Studies at the Faculty of Law at the National University of Singapore.
Carolyn Nash (U.S.) is the founder and executive director of the Myanmar Center for Civic Leadership, a non-profit dedicated to supporting the next generation of community and political leaders in Myanmar.
Tammy Nguyen (U.S.) is a multimedia artist working with geopolitics, science, and less-known histories. She is an artist-in-residence at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Process Space program and teaches art at the Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn.
Ronnie Saha (U.S.) is a management consultant in Deloitte's Strategic Risk practice, where he helps organizations spot, assess, and manage the impacts of disruptive innovation, macroeconomic trends, and geopolitical shifts on their corporate strategies.
Nazneen Uddin (U.S.) is a family medicine physician in California's Bay Area. She is passionate about refugee health and volunteers her time with medical trips aiding Syrian refugees.
