Indonesia's 75th anniversary highlights rise of political Islam

Conservative Muslims challenge country's pluralistic society

20200817N Indonesia

People fly kites ahead of the country's Independence Day celebrations. © Reuters

KOYA JIBIKI, Nikkei staff writer

JAKARTA -- Indonesia on Monday celebrated the 75th Independence Day since its founding at a sensitive juncture which sees the Muslim majority testing the country's commitment to pluralism.

In a largely virtual ceremony due to the coronavirus pandemic, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and First Lady Iriana sang the national anthem with a smattering of invitees just past 10 a.m., the exact moment the founding President Sukarno declared the nation's independence.

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