«Religious» ministries in the structure of public administration in Indonesia: history and modernity

Abstract

The article discusses the history and current characteristics of the state administration of Islam in Indonesia. The Ministry of Religious Affairs plays a key role in this system. This is the first time that Russian historiography has analyzed the stages of the ministry’s history, its transformation in 2025, and the department’s structural organization and functions. The establishment of the ministry marked a compromise between secular nationalists and their former Muslim allies. The former agreed to its establishment because they feared the strengthening and sovereignty of the Muslim community (ummah) in Indonesia. Currently, the Ministry oversees the primary activities of religious groups and communities throughout the country. The agency exercises administrative and financial control over the activities of the Indonesian Ummah, thereby ensuring the instrumentalization of Islam. Its activities are also aimed at deradicalizing Islam and promoting the concept of «Islam Nusantara». The author concludes that the bureaucratization of Islamic government in modern Indonesia has progressive meaning, as it reduces the radicals’ position and influence.