and the Future of Muslim-Christian Relations BY BERNARD ADENEY-RISAKOTTA

wenty years ago, Farsijana and I married in Berke- ley, California, and moved to Indonesia. We arrived just after President ’s resignation. THis 31-year rule over, were navigating diffi- cult times, including tensions between Christians and . Some Christians feared that Islamists were try- ing to take over the country. At the same time, Muslims worried about Christianization and the growth of the church. Deadly conflicts broke out all over the country. Most foreigners fled, as many countries issued travel bans for Indonesia. We decided to stay. We were energized by Indonesian hopes for a just and PC(USA) mission co-workers Bernard and Farsijana democratic society. Duta Wacana Christian University Adeney-Risakotta offered us a nice, safe house in an enclave of Christian fac- ulty and staff. However, we wanted to be agents of recon- Immersed in a culture that highly values tolerance and har- ciliation, breaking down barriers. We decided that by mony, the church thrived, growing from about 3 percent building a home in a Muslim neighborhood, we could con- of the population at the time of Indonesian independence nect with Muslims, in addition to the Christians we met from the (1945) to the current 10 percent. through the university and our church. Could we, as For some Muslims, this is an alarming demographic shift. Christians, also be part of a Muslim community? Twenty Some people wonder whether interreligious peace is years later, we still believe the answer is yes. now under threat. Are Indonesian Muslims becoming more intolerant of non-Muslims? Related to that question, A Long History and Complicated Present we must also ask how non-Muslims treat Muslims—both Indonesia is the fourth largest nation-state in the world, in Indonesia and the rest of the world. The more often with a population of more than 260 million.1 This includes is subjected to blanket condemnation and attack in the largest Muslim population in the world (209 million), the West, the more adamantly Indonesian Muslims assert roughly two thirds as many as in the entire their identity as Muslims. Over the past 30 years there has region.2 In fact, the Middle East is home to just 20 percent been a dramatic growth in the practice of orthodox Islamic of the world’s Muslims, while the Asia-Pacific region is piety in Indonesia, and, today, signs of it are apparent home to 62 percent of the world’s Muslims.3 The Muslim everywhere. population is 87 percent of Indonesia’s population,4 while Western domination of media, technology, wealth, sci- Christians make up 10 percent of Indonesia’s population ence, education and weapons doesn’t result in submission (26 million).5 to Western superiority; rather it results in resistance in the Indonesia never experienced widespread “wars of reli- name of transcendent values that Muslims find in Islam. gion” like the ones that plagued Europe for centuries. Sometimes intolerant acts against religious minorities in

26 This article originally appeared in the January/February 2018 issue of Horizons, the magazine or Presbyterian Women. To subscribe, visit www.presbyterianwomen.org. Indonesia, including Christians, accompany the resistance. Despite these pockets of conflict, most Religious Harmony in Indonesia? Indonesian Muslims and Christians BY DÉSIRÉE M. YOUNGBLOOD continue to live side by side in peace. ndonesia is a very religious country. In fact, belief in in Indonesia Ithe one and only is one of the five principles of the national philosophy (known as ) and signs The Indonesian Constitution is based of this belief are many. On , Muslim mosques are on five principles (Pancasila): everywhere. On , Hindu shrines are outside most of 1) the Great Unity of Deity—there the homes and businesses. In North , a are various but only one Christian church seems to be on every block. God or transcendent principle; The national motto of Indonesia is a Javanese 2) the Oneness of Humankind— phrase, , which means “unity in there are many races and cultures, diversity.” Most of the Indonesians whom I met said but one humanity; that they get along well with their neighbors of 3) the Unity of the Nation-State of different faiths. While the majority of Indonesians live Indonesia—more than 13,000 in harmony, religious extremism and some cultural islands, many languages and practices threaten indonesia’s “unity in diversity.” cultures, but one nation; To ensure that everyone claims a religion, In Kuta, Bali, a parking lot shared 4) government based on sovereignty Indonesia requires every driver to have a religion by a GPIB church, a mosque and a of the people—a representative Hindu temple stands as an declared on his or her driver’s license. Although this democracy; illustration of the Indonesian hope requirement was established with the intent of 5) social justice for all Indonesians. for religious harmony. The three supporting Pancasila, it can be abused in the hiring houses of worship share space and The first principle implies that all process so that a workplace only includes people of resources, seeking to live “world religions” are good and worthy the “correct” religion. harmoniously. of respect. Indonesians often say they Although many children befriend children of other religions, they are not allowed to have neither a monoreligious marry a person of a different religion when they are grown. Interreligious marriages are (Islamic) state, nor a that forbidden in Indonesia, so one person in an interreligious couple must convert. separates religion from the public Radical Muslims have declared their intent to push Christians out of Indonesian sphere. Instead they have a multireli- politicial offices. In early 2017, the Christian governor of , , gious, monotheistic state. All Indone- cited a verse from the Quran as evidence that Muslims could vote for non-Muslims. An sians are guaranteed religious freedom edited version of his citation was circulated and he was accused of blasphemy against in the Constitution, although there is Islam. He received a two-year prison term. no freedom to spread antireligious In a conversation with some college students, I learned about religious inequality in the ideologies, such as . school system. In public schools, Muslim holidays are observed by all children, including Globalization and digital commu- the Christian children, but the Christian children are not allowed to celebrate their own nication mean that events, ideas and religious holidays. A Christian teacher would be prosecuted under the blasphemy if trends in the Middle East, Asia, she attempted to proselytize students. Yet, Muslim teachers try to convert children Europe, Africa and America deeply without any repercussions, according to the college students. impact Indonesia. Indonesia is the , which is known as the center of education, is also considered to be a city third largest user of Twitter in the of religious harmony. Yet, Majelis Mujahideen Indonesia (MMI), a group known for its ties world (after the U.S. and India). to Al Qaeda, is based in Yogyakarta. At the opening ceremonies of the Synod Assembly of Events—like Brexit and the election GMIM (Christian Evangelical Church of Minahasa), Gomar Gultom, the General Secretary of President Trump—and the atti- of the Indonesian Communion of Churches, warned the churches to stay vigilant because tudes behind them ripple into of the threat of church bombings in Jakarta by Muslim extremists. Indonesia. In a seminar with women pastors of the GPIB (Protestant Church in Western Indonesia), I learned that building a Christian church in a Muslim-majority area can Muslim-Christian prompt demonstrations. Everything is fine when they begin building a new chapel, but Relationships as soon as they put a cross on the building, extreme Muslims will stage demonstrations. Most Indonesians try to adhere to Pancasila and honor each other’s religions, Portrayals of Islam as a dangerous but religious extremism and suspicion of “the other” can threaten even a society built enemy of the West lead many on diversity. Indonesians to feel that their religion

January/February 2018 27 is under attack. Religious tensions and Islam are implacable enemies. Separate But Equal and populist trends spread fear of the Both are embroiled in an unending A second perspective, which is more other, prejudice against those who are and primordial competition for world- popular in Indonesia than the first, different, and anger against those per- wide dominance. Each see the other views the different religious communi- ceived as a threat or an enemy. Just as as, at best, misguided, or, at worst, the ties as ideally tolerant of each other, American nationalism and religious embodiment of evil. They believe the but best kept strictly separate. Even in practice surged after 9/11, so Indone- very survival of their religious commu- tolerant Java, that are 99 per- sian nationalism and Islamic identity nity depends on defending themselves cent Muslim are reluctant to allow a intensify in response to anti-Islamic from the aggression of their rival, if new church to be built in their com- rhetoric in the West. necessary with military means. munity—just as small, majority Chris- Indonesia is as complex as the This perspective has a long history tian towns in the U.S. might not allow United States or any other country in Indonesia. It is part of a narrative a permit for building a mosque. Some with different religious groups pres- that sees Western colonialism, imperi- Balinese villages are very sensitive ent. Therefore, no single mindset alism and capitalist exploitation as not about allowing a mosque or a church typifies Muslim-Christian relations in only between the global North and into their Hindu neighborhood. Indonesia. However, we can simplify South, but also between Some Indonesians like to quote a the many possible attitudes of Mus- and Islam. This view led early Koranic verse that says, “For you is lims and Christians about each other Islamists to fight for an in your religion and for me is my reli- into three main views. the early years of the . They gion” (109:6). An extreme of this posi- tion results in a kind of religious were defeated by the nationalists. apartheid. Religious communities are At Odds Most Indonesians accepted Pancasila “separate but equal,” even though One perspective—also common in the rather than Islam as the philosophical some are more equal than others! United States—is that Christianity foundation of the country. Nevertheless, for many Indonesian Muslims and Christians, keeping strictly separate is rather impractical. Many families include both Muslims and Christians. Many schools, univer- sities, government agencies, businesses and civil society organizations are reli- giously mixed. Keeping apart in such conditions does not seem to prevent conflict; rather, it breeds distrust.

Different But United A third perspective views different religions as part of God’s plan. According to this common Indone- sian theology, God has been working throughout history, in all parts of the world, revealing God’s Way through . There have been many prophets, some of whom founded religious communities. There is truth in all of them, even though they do not agree on many points. All of them urge high moral principles, compas- sion and justice. All of these religions promote belief in one God or one transcendent principle (e.g., Nirvana or ). Even though most sincere believers think their religion is the best, or

28 most perfect, revelation, they see no when sisters and brothers live in Notes point in fighting over it because all peace! If we are all willing to sacrifice, 1. Central Intelligence Agency, “Indonesia,” The World Factbook (Washington, DC: Central religions are from God. God has in love of God and our neighbor, we Intelligence Agency, 2017). allowed religious diversity on earth, may find that our family not only 2. Pew Research Center, “The Future of World and so should we. People from differ- includes Christian neighbors, but also Religions: Population Growth Projections,” ent religious communities should neighbors from other faiths. April 2, 2015; www.pewforum.org/2015/04 /02/religious-projections-2010-2050/. work together on common problems, Bernard Adeney-Risakotta is a PC(USA) 3. Pew Research Center, “Muslims and Islam: Key like poverty, corruption, environmen- Findings in the U.S. and Around the World,” tal destruction, violence and violation mission co-worker, who has taught for August 9, 2017; http://www.pewresearch.org many years in Indonesian Christian, /fact-tank/2017/08/09/muslims-and-islam- of human rights. Muslim and national universities. He is key-findings-in-the-u-s-and-around-the-world/. This third “ideal type” is still the author of the forthcoming book, Living in 4. Pew Research Center, “The Future of World dominant view in Indonesia, but some a Sacred Cosmos: Indonesia and the Religions . . .” people wonder whether the other two Future of Islam (2018). 5. Central Intelligence Agency. types are gaining in popularity, influ- enced by worldwide circulation of fear and prejudice against those who are different. The following story is a Temples and the Timeless Quest simple illustration of how neighbor- BY NANCY THOMAS hood practices strengthen communal solidarity across religious lines.

Neighbors First When we first moved into our Mus- lim neighborhood, we noticed that during the fasting month of Ramadan, our neighborhood mosque served a dinner every night, after the sun went down. I knew most of our neighbors Left: At the , the Buddhist temple compound site, tour guide Happy Sulistaiwan were poor and wondered how they describes the significance of various carvings. Right: Global Exchange participants at the Hindu could afford to serve a meal every Uluwatu Temple, overlooking the Indian Ocean night to the poor of the . Farsi- jana commented that those who are ndonesia’s rich temple history provides a strong and visible foundation for the first better off contributed towards the Iof the five principles of the Pancasila—belief in the one God. During our time in meal. She suggested we contribute to Yogyakarta, we visited the Buddhist Borobudur Temple and the Hindu the nightly meal. For me, this was a Temple, dating back to the seventh and ninth centuries, respectively. Our incredibly startling idea! After all, we contribute knowledgeable tour guide, Happy Sulistaiwan, brought the history of these temples to our church. to life for us as he conveyed the stories of their construction, use, meaning, Farsijana laughed and teased me by destruction by earthquakes and reconstruction across millennia. He interpreted saying, “You just think that way stone carvings etched by Hindu and Buddhist faithful as they struggled with how to because you are an American.” She live their lives and their reasons for being. explained that Indonesian Christians Happy also offered insights into the unifying themes across religions. Viewing often contribute to the buildings and seventh-, eighth- and ninth-century representations of the spiritual journeys of programs of mosques. And Indone- and Buddhists was a powerful experience. It affirmed for me that a sian Muslims often contribute to the connection with the sacred has inspired people for centuries. Christian churches’ good work. We also visited two breathtaking and centuries-old Hindu temple sites in Bali. Since then, every year we con- Both were perched on the edge of the Indian Ocean—one on a volcanic outcropping tribute to the sunset meals during the that becomes an island at high tide, the other on a high sheer cliff with surf pounding month of fasting. In return, every below. It was profoundly apparent during our brief time at each of these sites that year, the mosque sends us an offering they were chosen as places for worshipers to reflect on the wonder and majesty of of meat after the Muslim day of sacri- creation. Some of us chose to participate in a rice blessing. In that experience, and in fice (Idul Adha), which celebrates each of the temple visits, I felt a connection to the one God—who is worshiped in so Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his many different ways and places—and to others seeking the divine. own son to God. How beautiful it is

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