Speaker
Description
Indonesia ranks at the top as a country where most people consider religion to be very important in their lives. Religion plays a role as the most important reference in various areas of life and an important part of everyone’s identity in Indonesian society. The importance of religion makes everything related to religion an interesting issue, including the number of religious adherents. An increase in the number of members of a particular religion can be seen mostly as a threat to the existence of other religions, making religious conversion a sensitive issue in Indonesian society. Moreover, religion is not understood solely as a private or individual domain but closely related to family and society at large.
Religious conversion is an interesting phenomenon in society, where those who convert play a role in influencing public debate through many platforms. This role can either strengthen interfaith relationships, increase tension or neutral, depending on how the religious conversion is perceived by both the convert and the surrounding community. How do those who convert to another religion influence public debate including in the media, and what is the impact? These questions serve as a guide in her paper.