According to the Pew Research Center report [1], 98% of Indonesians said in 2020 that religion is important to their lives. This positions Indonesia as one of the most religious countries in the world, with the nation officially recognising six major religions [2] alongside Indigenous belief systems [3]. The same report further illustrates that 91% of Indonesians find God important in their lives, while 95% find prayer important. In addition, 96% of Indonesians equate the belief in God with being a person of good morals.
These results show how religion is bound tightly in everyday life and is a huge determinant of moral life for Indonesians, right down to the insignificant religious stickers. The religious sticker in Indonesia is not an ornament; rather, it represents one aspect of the nation’s profound spirituality, a varied religious identity, and the ingenuity of the people. Stickers with religious themes in Indonesia are personal and communal expressions of faith.
The religious stickers serve a number of purposes in Indonesian society: the expression of personality, evangelism, and education. They are placed on one’s vehicle or personal effects to enable one to project faith and values. Most of them have didactic messages encouraging people to pray, drive safely, or live morally. Phrases like Ayat Kursi taken from the Quran or a simple “Sudahkah Anda Sholat (Have you done your prayer?)”, remind us gently to integrate spirituality into life. Most of these stickers identify the bearers with a certain religious group, event, or movement creating some sort of community.
These stickers are mainly commissioned by religious institutions, such as Pesantren (Islamic boarding schools), and distributed to all members after religious activities and gatherings, as AMP Malang informed Grafis Nusantara in an interview for its fourth book. To make use of the surplus from mass production, the leftover stickers are then distributed to sticker shops across the country so that anyone can buy them at will.

"Allahu Akbar, Allah Maha Besar" sticker. Collection of Grafis Nusantara.

"Sudahkah anda Sholat" sticker. Collection of Grafis Nusantara.
Two works from Grafis Nusantara’s collection illustrate these two kinds of reminders which frequently appear on the stickers designed for Muslim worshippers. The first is a picture of a woman in a praying gesture, along with the Arabic للهُ أَكْبَر (Allahu Akbar) and its translation in Indonesian “Allah Maha Besar” (God is the Greatest). This sticker points to the greatness and majesty of God and is an inspirational thing to remind human beings of this power.
The second one is a bright-colored text-based sticker that says “Sudahkah Anda Sholat?” (Have you done your prayer?). Its colorful aesthetic is meant to capture the attention and remind people about the daily ritual, urging all Muslims to perform their religious duty. If the first sticker made one ponder over the grandeur of Allah, the second one gives the real push-one that would get individuals to worship and help them in steadfastness.
While most religious stickers are openly displayed in public, some are designed for private areas: in bedrooms or on personal belongings. An outstanding example is the Shalawat Nariyah sticker, a prayer commonly recited during Subuh and Maghrib prayers. This sticker is considered a personal spiritual tool, giving protection from any form of danger or illness; thus, it soothes and brings one much reflection and security in everyday life.

Shalawat Nariyah sticker. Collection of Grafis Nusantara.
On the other hand, Christian stickers are also popular among their followers, often displaying a Bible verse along with the imagery of Christians, such as the cross. The two most frequently seen Bible verses among Indonesian Christians are displayed in these stickers: one is “Yesus is the way” (Jesus is the way), taken from John 14:6, and the other is “Kamulah garam dunia” (You are the salt of the world) from Matthew 5:13.

"Yesus is the way" sticker. Collection of Grafis Nusantara.

"Kamulah garam dunia" sticker. Collection of Grafis Nusantara.
The “Hidupku Dalam Tangan Tuhan” sticker is among the most popular designs exclusively produced—or at least pioneered—by AMP Malang. Unlike most other stickers, this particular design includes a designated space for the owner to attach their portrait, making it uniquely personal and highly meaningful to them. This innovation sparked a new trend in sticker design, allowing sticker users to incorporate their own identity into the visuals.

"Hidupku dalam tangan Tuhan" sticker. Collection of Grafis Nusantara.

"Puji Tuhan Haleloya" sticker. Collection of Grafis Nusantara.
Even with today’s modern setting, wherein these religious stickers are already minimised with the use of digital ones in social networking sites, the spirit of those lives on. As much as not as many may be using physical or tangible religious stickers today, its essence is living on with the use of digital, changing modern communication, and it remains a mode to converse about faith, spirituality, and community.
Explore the collection of Indonesian religious stickers in Grafis Nusantara’s archive here, or grab your copy of Grafis Nusantara Vol. 4: Stiker Pop & Trendi here.
–
Footnotes
[1] “Indonesia among most religious nations: Pew study,” The Jakarta Post, July 31, 2020, https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2020/07/31/indonesia-among-most-religious-nations-pew-study.html.
[2] Indonesia officially recognises six religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. This recognition stems from the 1965 Presidential Decree No. 1/PNPS/1965, commonly known as the Blasphemy Law, which protects these six religions. (Reuters, 2017)
[3] In 2017, the Indonesian Constitutional Court expanded this recognition to include indigenous faiths, allowing followers of native religions to state their beliefs on official identity cards. (Library of Congress, 2017)
Bibliography
Library of Congress. “Indonesia: Constitutional Court Opens Way to Recognition of Native Faiths.” Global Legal Monitor, November 17, 2017. https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2017-11-17/indonesia-constitutional-court-opens-way-to-recognition-of-native-faiths.
Reuters. “Indonesian Court Recognizes Native Religions in Landmark Ruling.” Reuters, November 7, 2017. https://www.reuters.com/article/world/indonesian-court-recognizes-native-religions-in-landmark-ruling-idUSKBN1D71IZ.
The Jakarta Post. “Indonesia Among Most Religious Nations: Pew Study.” The Jakarta Post, July 31, 2020. https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2020/07/31/indonesia-among-most-religious-nations-pew-study.html.