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President Joko Widodo, President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Indonesian and UAE officials inaugurated the Grand Mosque in Solo on November 14, 2022. Photo courtesy of the Presidential Secretariat.
Last November, President Joko Widodo and United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque In Solo, Central Java, marking a new phase in Indonesia-UAE relations.
The ties between Indonesia and the UAE have grown stronger in recent years, going far beyond the symbolism of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Widodo and Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan (often known by his initials MBZ) are close personal friends, and they and their ministers frequently exchange visits.
One of the high points of this growing relationship was the signing of the Indonesia-United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IUAE-CEPA) in Abu Dhabi July 2022. This builds on 16 different MoUs and cooperation agreements signed in 2020and Jokowi’s visit to the UAE in 2021, when he reportedly received a $32 billion in investment commitments.Several ambitious new UAE-Indonesia projects have been announced, including a joint effort to build the world’s largest floating PV solar power plant.
While ties between Indonesia and the UAE have grown closer in recent years, the two countries’ ties go back decades. Indonesia was one of the first countries to recognize the UAE shortly after it was established as an independent state in 1971.these countries like to say their country Shared identity as a Muslim-majority country with significant ethnic and religious minorities played a role in shaping their intimacy.
Although almost all UAE citizens are Muslim, Substantial percentage of non-citizen residents (now more than 80% of the population) are non-Muslims. Due to its diverse society, the UAE has carried out a series of interfaith activities to maintain social harmony.
In fact, the UAE and Indonesia have a reputation for practicing and promoting more “moderate” forms of Islam. This has been a particular focus of Jokowi’s government, which has aggressively sought to suppress conservative political Islam, especially after the massive mobilizations of 2016 and 2017. It is also an approach that is largely in line with the vision of mainstream Islamic groups in Indonesia, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah.
Scholars have described how Middle Eastern countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Iran vie for religious influence in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim society.The UAE has made it clear that it aims to strengthen religious cooperation domestic.Similarly, Saudi Arabia for decades Attempts to influence religious education in Indonesia. The kingdom provides funds and many scholarships to Indonesian Muslims with the specific goal of spreading its conservative religious ideology.
For now, it’s a battle that the UAE appears to have the upper hand. During his visit to the UAE in 2021, Jokowi says: “I see widespread respect for religious moderation and diversity in the UAE. This is an area of cooperation that we hope to explore further, as we share similarities in the vision and character of a moderate Islam that preaches tolerance.”
Sheikh Zayed’s construction grand mosque is one of the more visible signs of growing interfaith cooperation between Indonesia and the UAE. Located in the center of Solo, the mosque is a replica of the mosque of the same name in Abu Dhabi and, like other mosques across Indonesia, is fully funded by the UAE.
In addition, the UAE has donated funds for Islamic boarding schools (boarding school) in several places in Indonesia. Unlike Saudi Arabia, however, UAE funding is not necessarily tied to the spread of its religious ideology. UAE-backed mosques and schools often represent symbolic contributions to strengthening cooperation and relations between Indonesia and the UAE, rather than importing teachings.
Although the UAE and Indonesia share similar views on moderate Islam, there is one area where they differ significantly. In August 2020, the UAE officially Normalize diplomatic relations with Israel. Indonesia has long been a staunch supporter of Palestinian independence, and that is unlikely to change. So far, however, this disagreement has not led to any significant tension in the relationship between the two countries.
But it is important not to overstate the ideological reasons for the growing partnership between Indonesia and the UAE. Economic factors may be more important. On the Indonesian side, Jokowi is eager to increase foreign investment, especially in his pet project, the new capital Nusantara in East Kalimantan. He has been actively seeking investment from a number of Gulf countries, including Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as well as the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE has the largest investment stake in Indonesia.The UAE is looking to diversify its trading partners following US-China tensions, while Indonesia’s growing economy has make it more and more attractive. Indonesia and UAE say they want their trade pact to Bilateral trade volume rises to US$10 billion From $4 billion in 2021 to 2030.Fortunately, the UAE has even committed invest new capital.
It is difficult to say to what extent the developing relationship between the UAE and Indonesia will affect Indonesia’s perception of the Arab world. Saudi Arabia has historically been Indonesia’s main Gulf state. While the extent of Saudi Arabia’s influence on Indonesia’s understanding and practice of Islam is often exaggerated, it certainly sought to promote conservative religious norms. It can only be a good thing that Indonesia sees a greater diversity of religious views from the Gulf states.
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