NURCHOLISH Madjid spread out his prayer mat. His small office, measuring only around 3x4 meters, seemed even more crowded because of its unrolled mattress. On the campus of Paramadina Mulya University on Jalan Gatot Subroto, Jakarta, the call to prayer had just sounded. "Let me pray first" he told TEMPO last Tuesday.

In the next room, a large hall, around 20 young people were waiting. There were lecturers, NGO activists, politicians, and res