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RELIGIONS OF INDONESIA
Islam is Indonesia's main religion, with almost 88% of Indonesians declared Muslim, making Indonesia the most populous Muslim-majority nation in the world. The remaining population is 9% Christian, 2% Hindu and 1% Buddhist.Before the arrival of the Abrahamic faiths of Christianity and Islam in the Malay Archipelago, the popular beliefs in region had been thoroughly influenced by Indic religious philosophy through Hinduism and Buddhism. Although Islam was once mainly practised in Java and parts of Sumatra, the transmigration program has increased the number of Muslims living in Bali, Borneo, the Celebes, the Moluccas, and Papua. After independence, syncretism and intermarriage has decreased somewhat and religious divides sharpened, leading to communal violence in many eastern islands and in Java.
Although only about 3% of Indonesians are officially Hindu, Indonesian beliefs are too complex to classify as belonging to a single world religion. In Java in particular, a substantial number of Muslims follow a non-orthodox, Hindu-influenced form of Islam known as Abangan, while across the archipelago the Hindu legacy, along with the older mystic traditions, influences popular beliefs. In areas of North Sumatra and Borneo, mystic traditions sometimes blend with Christianity to form mixed belief systems. In recent decades, Hinduism has shown a resurgence in Muslim strongholds including the center, Java. The phenomenon of "reconversion" is thought to be especially accelerated, and has roots in not just religious sentiment, but Indonesian nationalism.
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