The Indonesian constitution guarantees all people in Indonesia the freedom of worship, each according to his or her own religion or belief". According to Religion Facts (Religion Facts, 2004) 86.1% of the Indonesian population are Muslims, 5.7% are Protestant, however there are other religions such as Catholics and Hindus. Seeing as almost 90% of the Indonesian population is Muslims, Ramadan, the fasting month is an event that is celebrated nationwide. According to Indonesia investments Indonesia contains the largest Muslim population of all countries in the world. Statistics showed that in 2011 61.14% of the Australian population was Christians, 2.46% Buddhism, 1.28% Hinduism and 2.21% Islam (Government, 2013). .
90% of the population in Indonesia is Muslim, making it home to the largest Islamic population of any country in the world. It is important to show respect towards their religion when doing business in Indonesia. Although the influence of religion varies from one organization to another, Indonesians will generally pray five times a day. Ramadan is celebrated nationwide, it is the fasting month where Muslims must refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, marital relations or getting angry during daylight hours [Exp14]. Understanding religious and other traditional customs of Islam will help you to be more successful when doing business in Indonesia.
Failure to respect religious beliefs, symbols and rituals can incite hostile reaction to business operations. It is disrespectful for a foreign professional to eat or drink in front of a fasting Muslim during the fasting month. It is a sign of disrespect and intolerance towards their religion and beliefs and it will offend a person of another culture greatly. It is vital that foreign professionals understand the beliefs, rituals and religion; however failure to understand may affect business relationships. I would recommend to all Fair Dinkum Foods employees that they do become aware of the religious differences when dealing with Indonesians.