Indonesian law requires that every Indonesian citizen hold an identity card that identifies that person with one of six recognized religions - Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. In the 2010 Indonesian census, 87.18% of Indonesians identified themselves as Muslim, but this number is probably lower because some locals are hiding their atheism out of fear of reprisal.

It is difficult to quantify the number of atheists or agnostics in Indonesia since they are not officially counted in the census of the country. Many Indonesian atheists, such as those belonging to the Indonesian Atheists organization, predominantly communicate with each other solely via the Internet. According to Human Rights Watch, tolerance towards atheists among the general Indonesian public is growing, but they are still subject to violence by "largely militant Islamists."

Agence France Presse (APF) wrote about an atheist, identified only as “Luna Atmowijoyo,”and her de-conversion from Islam years ago:

Atmowijoyo, who lives with her parents, still wears an Islamic headscarf to escape the wrath of an abusive father who knows nothing of his daughter’s change of heart, which started when she was told to avoid friendships with non-Muslims.

“A lot of simple things started to bother me,” said the 30-year-old, who asked AFP not to use her real name.

“Like I couldn’t say Merry Christmas or Happy Waisak to people of other religions,” she added, referring to a Buddhist holiday also known as Vesak or Buddha’s Birthday in other parts of Asia.

Treating gay people as abnormal was another problem and it soon became impossible for Atmowijoyo — once a conservative Islamic party member — to square the Koran’s teachings with science.

Then the unthinkable crept into her mind: God does not exist.

In Indonesia, criticizing religion, particularly Islam, which is followed by nearly 90 percent of Indonesia's 260 million citizens, can land you in jail. For example, this year, a university student was charged for a Facebook post that compared Allah to the Greek gods and said the Koran was no more scientific than the Lord of the Rings. He faces up to five years in prison.

Alexander Aan was jailed for 30 months in 2012 for posting explicit material about the Prophet Mohammed online and declaring himself an atheist.

Authorities, however, insist atheist beliefs are not illegal — as long as they’re not aired in public. “Once somebody disseminates that idea, or the concept of atheism, that will be problematic,” said Abdurrahman Mas’ud, head of the research and development agency at the Ministry of Religion.

Photo Credits: Wikimedia