Despite its long and ancient history, Indonesia is young nation having gained independence in 1948 from centuries of colonialisation. Recent economic development has brought profound changes to Indonesian society.

Many Jawa Pesisir Lor view traditional Javanese culture as backward and are proud of what they consider to be their more modern world-view and stronger Islamic commitment. The vast majority of them are Sunni Muslims though there are also some Sufis among them.

As one of the 3rd largest peoples in Indonesia, the 13 million Madurese are key to seeing God’s kingdom established in Southeast Asia. The majority of the Madurese have migrated from their home on Madura Island to eastern Java in search of a more prosperous lifestyle.

In earlier times the Rejang practiced animism. They believed that all natural things have undying souls. Islam was brought to Sumatra, Indonesia by Muslim merchants at the end of the 13th century; since the 20th century, almost all Rejang have converted to Islam