Stitching together a new Indonesia
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The year 2012 was not a good one for religious pluralism in Indonesia. In a staggering six-month period alone, religious violence increased sharply, in particular violence connected to the abuse of religious symbols and closures of places of worship. In the first half of 2012, there were 179 criminal violations based on religion, the majority of them on Java, where the bulk of the country's Muslim-majority population lives. But Java was followed by Aceh province on the northern tip of Sumatra Island, where during a one-week period last October local authorities closed nine Christian churches following pressure from Islamic groups. Despite well- publicized attacks and persecution of the Ahmadiyah Islamic sect and Shiite Muslims, Christian communities remain the largest victims of attacks on religious freedom.
Religion is used in Indonesia to find scapegoats and to gain legitimacy for political causes; it is a weapon in political power struggles and family conflicts. It seeps into all segments of society, and therefore, if adherents of one religion no longer accept and respect the beliefs of another group, it is difficult to prevent conflict "in the name of religion." As we saw with October's deadly communal conflicts between native South Sumatran villagers and Balinese and Javanese transmigrants, any issue can trigger violence. It should be of the utmost concern to the Indonesian government that religion is being used to legitimize violence against minorities.
Deadly attacks, also in October, by Sunni Muslims against minority Shiites on Madura Island in eastern Java were triggered by in- tolerance, so similar violence can occur at any time against any religious group.
While government and police officials frequently say that such incidents are driven more by personal or family disputes than by religious factors, there is ample evidence that minorities are being attacked because they are minorities, and that religion is being used as a weapon in various power struggles in Indonesia, where the problem of "majority and minority" continues to haunt the country.
Joint challenges
There are numerous issues and problems within Indonesia's religious sphere, and it seems that new ones appear all the time.
The faithful of the many religions here face a joint challenge of both understanding and embracing tolerance. There is frequent discourse on pluralism and religious tolerance by our political and religious leaders, but it's not so easy to put it into practice. While there is clear national awareness that Indonesia was not built upon a foundation of a single religion, but rather by stitching many diverse groups together, the attitudes of "my religion" or "my beliefs" are often at the core of day-to-day violent behavior.
Although we recognize the importance of our national motto "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" ("Unity in Diversity"), we also know that in the real world it can be difficult to follow a slogan. As such, there are many religious is- sues in Indonesia that hinder the realization of true solidarity and tolerance.
Many cases of religious conflict are based upon majority-minority relations. It begins with the closure of a church, or a particular group is accused of alleged heresy, and escalates to the legitimization of violence. The breakdown occurs because the state does not truly engage in fostering tolerance beyond making vague public statements. Security to guarantee religious freedom is inadequate and case after case is not handled fairly or intelligently by the government or police.
As a result we must prepare to face the slow death of pluralism in Indonesia. Being fair does not mean only defending the interests of the minority, which logically does not have the power to suppress anyone. Real fairness should be part of a framework to build balanced religious tolerance among all.
Pluralism should be an absolute in Indonesia, as should prosperity. When pluralism is threatened by the day-to-day decisions of government officials, however, we all must be concerned. A government official who does not use his power to guarantee the rights of all citizens, likely at the behest of or in deference to the majority, only pushes us closer to larger conflict.
Togetherness is key for pluralism to thrive in our country. We cannot imagine living in a pluralistic country such as Indonesia with- out a spirit of togetherness. If the extreme agenda of elements within the majority continues, and if the government's failure to provide security continues, the spirit of pluralism itself will perish. The nation was built to protect all human beings regardless of class, ethnicity, religion or ancestry. Security is the foundation for us to live together, yet day to day there are more violations against religious freedom. Ironically, it shows that the state is weak because it stands back and lets the violence take place. The state actually delegates authority to government religious organizations because of its inability to apply the law and remain neutral on issues of religion and faith. Local police officials are equally biased on the side of the majority and against the minority.
We see a lot of contradictions here. The Constitution is the highest legal document in the land, guaranteeing freedom of religion, yet state regulations under it have a tendency to impede religious freedom and even spark violence. Restrictions on the Ahmadiyah are a prime example. The Indonesian state has failed to provide protection and equal treatment for the faithful. So why do we even have Pancasila, the state ideology that equally recognizes the country's main religious groups? Is it for show? Why do we look to this philosophy of our founding fathers as valuable and honorable if in everyday life we can't sincerely practice what it preaches?
The government is obliged to protect, conserve and enhance public awareness and maturity about religious beliefs that are considered "different" to Islam. The government is also obliged to educate the public about tolerance and pluralism. That is the will of Pancasila. Policies which cause antipathy by some Indonesians toward their compatriots need to be discussed and replaced with ones that are more fair and enlightening.
Violence and no solutions
The government should take heed before things get worse. Violence in Indonesia is shrouded in religion and ethnicity and as such is increasing. There has been public discussion of pluralism but no success in applying its principles. Numerous religious and social issues in Indonesia haunt us, hindering the realization of solidarity and tolerance. We say we respect others' religions and do not use violence to resolve problems, but facts show otherwise. The masses quickly turn to burning or closing houses of worship, attack or otherwise intimidate groups that promote pluralism, and label others as heretics, even fellow Muslims.
The root cause of these incidents – and they are well-documented in the press – is hatred. Hatred is the birthplace of sectarian- ism. Indonesians do not recognize the existence of sectarianism under Pancasila, but in reality it is all around us. With increasing violence across the nation, including religious violence, we should ask ourselves why Indonesians have lost their politeness, friendliness and respect for differences. Why are we angry and why do we kill, burn and destroy? Why has violent behavior so quickly become the model to solve all our problems?
On a basic level, we should ask whether violence is a manifestation of superficial ity in understanding and following religious teachings. I say superficial because there is no value in any religion that teaches violence. Every religion teaches its adherents to live in peace, yet "peace" is easy to say but very difficult to achieve. Violence has always spawned further suspicion among groups and pitted them against each other, easily triggering further conflict.
Building character
Violence in Indonesia is fairly straight- forward – it is due to individual con- genital factors. Collectively, we are beset by violence because we never seriously approached the task of developing a pluralistic national character to promote humanity and justice as a means to unify us. Economic disparity, a dominant majority that does not respect minorities, human rights abuses and social injustice easily frustrates people. Acute frustration will bring disaster to the country and extinguish hope for the future.
We already have a foundation as a unified nation: the 1945 Constitution and Pancasila. If we still want to maintain the basic form of the Republic of Indonesia, we must put an end to de facto measures, local regulations and state rules that allow intolerance, and strive to ensure freedom of religion. If we remain inconsistent, it is superficial for us to continue to praise our so-called tolerant and pluralistic society. Promises made during election campaigns have no real meaning at all. We need to return to the principles of Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, the Unitary State of Indonesia and "Unity in Diversity." Religions within Indonesia must appreciate the meaning of "Indonesian-ness." Nowadays, religion is reduced to very narrow meanings. It seems that some religious interpretations endorse the killing of others without noting that the primary purpose of religion is to achieve peace. Religion can be tarnished if it is allowed to be used for the exclusive benefit of a certain group and not for the good of mankind.
Modern-day interpretations of scriptural texts must guide us to be more rational, tolerant, sensitive and open-minded, not to be used as weapons in religious struggle. This is our challenge as a nation: knitting together an Indonesia that maintains our diverse religions, ethnicities and cultures. Indonesia is not a single thing, but a plurality made up of the thinking, acting and reasoning of our people. Rejecting this means we reject ourselves as a nation.
