How Did Bali Remain A Hindu Island?

Right in the middle of the world’s most populated Muslim country — lies Bali, a Hindu majority island. How Is This So?

Sitting on the equator, nestled between the Indian and Pacific oceans lies Indonesia — the world’s most populous Muslim majority nation.

In the center of this archipelago, lies Bali, which quite literally an island of Hinduism in a Sea of Islam.

How is it so that in a nation of 270 million people (87% of which are Muslim); this small province preserved its unique religious identity?

The answer lies in the following reasons:

• Islam is not as widespread across the country as it may seem
• Not all who profess to be Muslim follow it “to the letter” or are fervent
• Bali had some breathing room thanks to having buffer states around it
• The Establishment supported Hinduism

Let us explore each of these in turn.

#1: Islam is not as widespread across Indonesia it seems