Former presidents Sukarno and Suharto were wary of promoting Islamic law in a multi-religious and multi-ethnic country, even though Muslims make up the majority of Indonesia's 209.4 million citizens.

CNN: Islamic Finance 101

While the renewed fighting is troubling for a fragile, multi-ethnic country that has just begun to open up after decades of isolation, the unrest spells particular risk for Asian energy firms.

FORBES: Myanmar's Ethnic Conflict Flares In Shadow Of Asian Oil Investments

It is also worth pointing out that Australia is successfully multi-ethnic and, considering the massive population changes that have overtaken the country over the past 60 years, the backlash has been relatively mild.

BBC: Reality TV tackles immigration