indonsaudiJulia Suryakusuma
(The writer is a public-intellectual, social-critic, columnist, researcher, author of “Julia’s Jihad” (2013) and several other books. She is based in Jakarta, Indonesia)

Copyright: This article appeared in the Jakarta Post and is reprinted with permission. Publication date at RIEAS web site (www.rieas.gr) on 2nd April 2017

When my older sister who lives in Germany came to Indonesia recently, we gave her the royal treatment. Well, she’s family after all, and had not visited in 12 years.

So if a family member hadn’t visited in 47 years, the royal treatment would be quadrupled, right? Well, that’s how long it had been since a Saudi monarch had come to Indonesia. The last time was the visit of King Faisal in 1970, so when King Salman of Saudia Arabia came in February the reception was pretty over the top....Read more

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