Indonesia: another face of Islam: the world's most-populous Muslin nation isn't in the Middle East, and that's one of the reasons it's a very different kind of place.

• Author: Landler, Mark
• Position: INTERNATIONAL

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CRITICAL THINKING

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said, "If you want to know if Islam, democracy, modernity, and women's rights can coexist, go to Indonesia."

* What did she mean by this, and what is its significance?

* Why might some of those elements not coexist in other countries?

Ask students whether they were surprised to read that Indonesia is the most populous Muslim nation.

* Why might Indonesia receive less media attention than Muslim nations in the Middle East?

Why do you think Indonesia seems to have been able to peacefully transition to democracy when countries like Iraq and Afghanistan are struggling?

WRITING PROMPT

Write an essay discussing political, economic, social, and ideological similarities and differences between Indonesia and another Muslim country in the news, such as Iraq, Iran, Turkey, or Afghanistan.

DEBATE

Support or refute: Other Middle Eastern countries should adopt some of Indonesia's tolerant policies.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

What elements are essential for a successful democracy?

How might President Obama's upbringing in Indonesia have influenced his views about the Muslim world? Why is that perspective valuable today?

What is meant by the statement that Indonesians are "Islamic in the same way that many Americans are Christian"? How does that statement relate to the role that religion can play in a democracy?

Why do you think Indonesia has been able to remain relatively distant from the Islamic fundamentalism found in many other Muslim countries?

FAST FACTS

Indonesia is the world's third-largest democracy, after India and the U.S.

Ninety percent of Indonesians are Sunni Muslims.

WEB WATCH

http://topics.nytimes.com /indonesia

News, archival articles, and multimedia about Indonesia, from NYTimes.com.

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Just 15 years ago, Indonesia looked a lot like any other developing nation with an autocratic ruler. For three decades, a former general named Suharto had been President, corruption was rampant, and news and information were tightly controlled by the government.

Then in 1998, amid growing protests, Suharto stepped down and Indonesia began a peaceful transition to democracy. Today, Indonesia's military no longer meddles in politics, the country has conducted several free and fair elections, and its press is probably the most free and vibrant in Southeast Asia.

"Indonesia has experienced a great transformation in the last 10 years," said Secretary of State...