The controversy over ‘Hunting Muhammad’: why judging a book by its cover is dangerous

, , ,
It is possible to think that the title was unwise, insufficiently sensitive, or simply too provocative for the Indonesian context. I would not dismiss that criticism. Titles matter, especially when they use the name of the Prophet. But that is still different from saying that the title insults the Prophet or that the book is blasphemous.

Talking Indonesia: disorder and the 'preman state'

, , ,
In this week's episode, Jemma Purdey chats with Abdil Mughis Mudhoffir, an Alexander von Humboldt research fellow at the GIGA Institute for Asian Studies and the Hamburg Institute for Advanced Study in Germany, about how the 'preman state' persists in Indonesia.

TALKING INDONESIA PODCASTSee all


The controversy over ‘Hunting Muhammad’: why judging a book by its cover is dangerous

, , ,
It is possible to think that the title was unwise, insufficiently sensitive, or simply too provocative for the Indonesian context. I would not dismiss that criticism. Titles matter, especially when they use the name of the Prophet. But that is still different from saying that the title insults the Prophet or that the book is blasphemous.

Talking Indonesia: disorder and the 'preman state'

, , ,
In this week's episode, Jemma Purdey chats with Abdil Mughis Mudhoffir, an Alexander von Humboldt research fellow at the GIGA Institute for Asian Studies and the Hamburg Institute for Advanced Study in Germany, about how the 'preman state' persists in Indonesia.

Power, ulama and pragmatism at Nahdlatul Ulama’s Jombang congress

, ,
For five days in late August, Jombang became a crowded arena of clerical authority, organisational politics and quiet negotiation.

Soldiers now teach Pancasila on campuses. Can students (really) debate them?

, , ,
Students can study the armed forces and question officers about defence, but giving an officer the lecturer’s podium to define the national ideology instead lends military authority a civilian endorsement – or could even elevate it to the position of judging civilian behaviour.

The rise and rise of the ‘preman state’: deciphering Prabowo’s ties to former gangster Hercules  

, , ,
The post-Soeharto era of democratisation did not erode the influence of preman groups. Instead, these violent entities multiplied and decentralised down to the local level, mirroring the fragmentation of political and economic patronage across the provinces and sub-provinces.

Talking Indonesia: militarising Indonesia

In this week's episode, Dr Jacqui Baker chats with Dr Natalie Sambhi to help us understand how civil-military relations are changing under the Prabowo government, and how that affects Australia’s defence relations with Indonesia.

Secrecy surrounding Indonesia's Asset Forfeiture Bill sparks fears of repression

, , ,
The alleged involvement of Gerindra Party members in facilitating the Pati demonstrations demanding the enactment of the Asset Bill has fuelled speculation that the President’s party is rushing it through to serve elite interests, not the public.

Who should govern fire? Prabowo’s new instruction reshapes the politics of Indonesia’s burning landscapes

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Indonesia’s new fire regime prompts a crucial question - not just how the state will manage fire, but who will govern it, under what conditions, and based on whose knowledge?

Why ASEAN’s haze agreement doesn’t stop Indonesia’s wildfires from choking its neighbours  

, ,
Indonesia’s regional engagement means very little: the agreement asks for cooperation without giving ASEAN a strong mechanism to evaluate domestic implementation. That may explain why regional engagement deepens while the domestic conditions that cause haze persist.

The controversy over ‘Hunting Muhammad’: why judging a book by its cover is dangerous

, , ,
It is possible to think that the title was unwise, insufficiently sensitive, or simply too provocative for the Indonesian context. I would not dismiss that criticism. Titles matter, especially when they use the name of the Prophet. But that is still different from saying that the title insults the Prophet or that the book is blasphemous.

Talking Indonesia: disorder and the 'preman state'

, , ,
In this week's episode, Jemma Purdey chats with Abdil Mughis Mudhoffir, an Alexander von Humboldt research fellow at the GIGA Institute for Asian Studies and the Hamburg Institute for Advanced Study in Germany, about how the 'preman state' persists in Indonesia.

Power, ulama and pragmatism at Nahdlatul Ulama’s Jombang congress

, ,
For five days in late August, Jombang became a crowded arena of clerical authority, organisational politics and quiet negotiation.

Soldiers now teach Pancasila on campuses. Can students (really) debate them?

, , ,
Students can study the armed forces and question officers about defence, but giving an officer the lecturer’s podium to define the national ideology instead lends military authority a civilian endorsement – or could even elevate it to the position of judging civilian behaviour.

The rise and rise of the ‘preman state’: deciphering Prabowo’s ties to former gangster Hercules  

, , ,
The post-Soeharto era of democratisation did not erode the influence of preman groups. Instead, these violent entities multiplied and decentralised down to the local level, mirroring the fragmentation of political and economic patronage across the provinces and sub-provinces.

Talking Indonesia: militarising Indonesia

In this week's episode, Dr Jacqui Baker chats with Dr Natalie Sambhi to help us understand how civil-military relations are changing under the Prabowo government, and how that affects Australia’s defence relations with Indonesia.

Secrecy surrounding Indonesia's Asset Forfeiture Bill sparks fears of repression

, , ,
The alleged involvement of Gerindra Party members in facilitating the Pati demonstrations demanding the enactment of the Asset Bill has fuelled speculation that the President’s party is rushing it through to serve elite interests, not the public.

Who should govern fire? Prabowo’s new instruction reshapes the politics of Indonesia’s burning landscapes

, ,
Indonesia’s new fire regime prompts a crucial question - not just how the state will manage fire, but who will govern it, under what conditions, and based on whose knowledge?

Why ASEAN’s haze agreement doesn’t stop Indonesia’s wildfires from choking its neighbours  

, ,
Indonesia’s regional engagement means very little: the agreement asks for cooperation without giving ASEAN a strong mechanism to evaluate domestic implementation. That may explain why regional engagement deepens while the domestic conditions that cause haze persist.
NEWS & EVENTS

TALKING INDONESIA PODCASTSee all


EDITOR’S PICKSSee all

Military-cleric alliance may fuel new anti-LGBTQ sentiment in Indonesia

21 July 2026/by Rafiqa Qurrata Ayun, https://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/author/rafiqa/

Indonesia’s economic centralisation under Prabowo

7 July 2026/by Norman Joshua, https://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/author/normanjoshua/

Is Jakarta turning into Gotham? How viral crime panics become pretext for expanding military visibility

23 June 2026/by Ian Wilson, https://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/author/ian/

Prabowo’s foreign stooge myth: Are Indonesians buying it?

26 May 2026/by Djayadi Hanan, https://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/author/djayadi/, Yoes C Kenawas, https://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/author/yoes/

Indonesia at Melbourne is supported by:

Melbourne Law School Asia Institute Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society Indonesia Forum Faculty of Arts Indonesia Democracy Hallmark Research Initiative

Indonesia at Melbourne

Room 726, Level 7, 185 Pelham St,
The University of Melbourne
Parkville 3010 VIC Australia

Phone: +61 3 83448581

Email:  indo-at-melb@unimelb.edu.au

Date created: 1 July 2015

Editor: Ary Hermawan

Editorial board: 
Professor Tim Lindsey
Dr Tim Mann
Aron Corbett

We acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Owners of the lands upon which our campuses are situated.

Phone:13 MELB (13 6352) | International: +(61 3) 9035 5511
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