CHESTERTOWN, MD—A scholar from the Indonesian island of Java will lecture on the role of Islam in his country Oct. 1 at Washington College.  Eric Hiariej, a professor of political science and international studies at the Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta, will speak at 7:30 p.m. in Litrenta Lecture Hall, Toll Science Center, on “Development, Politics and the Role of Islam in Indonesia. 

Islam in the dominant religion in Indonesia, where the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and the government also officially recognizes Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism. Hiariej’s talk is sponsored by the Program in Islamic, Turkish and Near Eastern Studies, which is part of the Institute for Religion, Politics, and Culture at Washington College.