With 200 million Muslims, Indonesia is the world's largest Islamic country. Its Muslims represent many strands, which differ strongly from one another. For example, after September 11 fundamentalism grew rapidly, but so did concerns about radical Islam. Curator Alex Supartono asked three young Indonesians to photograph the Islamic society in which they live. The commission was a consciousness-raising process. Not only were the photographers witness to a continuing politicization of Islam, they were also impressed by the enormous wealth of Islamic currents in their society. Furthermore, the emphasis on their personal experience reveals - and revealed - the everyday character of Islam - both to the viewer, and to the photographers themselves.

MOHAMMED AND ME is intended to grow into a worldwide project that will provide more insight into Islam and its effects. 'Mohammed is changing,' says Alex Supartono (b. 1972), 'and our world is quickly changing as a result.'

Arief Kamaludin Rahman (b. 1977) used his experiences as a photojournalist for the Islamic weekly Sabili for MOHAMMED AND ME. He takes a critical position toward the conservative ideology that the magazine promotes. For four years he worked on this portrait of a radical Muslim group. The magazine's editors found the photographs shown here unsuitable for publication.

Paul Kadarisman (b. 1974) photographed himself next to friends who are also photographers, and who are named Mohammed. They find themselves in a paradoxical situation as Muslims: they are photographers, while Islam forbids the production of images. Their relaxed poses emphasize the double character of Islam in Indonesian society.

Mohammed Revaldi (b. 1976) photographed the Nasqshbandi Hqqani Sufi Order, a charismatic sect that is only open to the Islamic upper class. As an insider, in a snapshot style Revaldi produced a portrait as informal as it is intimate.