Muslims-Christians Relationship in Indonesian Reformed Era

Religious intolerance in Indonesia apparently comes together with political transition from an authoritarian into a democratic state in late 1990s. This article finds that religious intolerance comes from both government and civil society in terms of religious groups. Of religious groups, religious intolerance in Indonesia mainly happened to Indonesian Muslims and Christians. To analyze their relationship, this article looks at some relevant cases such as churches destruction, banned and closing in the last two decades. This research will deeply elaborate the discussion of why religious intolerance between Muslims and Christians significantly increases in Indonesian Reformed Era. To explain the relationship between Indonesian Muslims and Christians in the reformed era, the author will elaborate three influencing factors namely the historical mutual perception between Muslims and Christians, the weakness of government to uphold and implement rules of conduct regarding religious freedom and the impact of decentralized system. This study will conduct case study approach as it looks at number of variables and complex relationship between central government and local government and between different religious groups in terms of Islamic and Christian groups. Of case study approaches, this research will also use historical studies to seek information with regards to Muslims-Christians relationship from the earlier period of Indonesia to the last decade. Data is gathered through interview with some religious leaders and from various literatures such as reports, books, journals, articles, newspapers, and online news