wfn.org | Indonesia: Transition to Democracy Calls for New Levels of

["Frank Imhoff" <frank_imhoff@elca.org>]

Indonesia: Transition to Democracy Calls for New Levels of Social, Religious
and Political Harmony
LWF Christian-Muslim Study Team Looks at Challenges of Co-existence 

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia/GENEVA, 12 August 2004 (LWI) * "To be religious in
Indonesia today means to be inter-religious," was the message heard
repeatedly by members of a Lutheran World Federation (LWF) study team on
Christian-Muslim relations, during meetings in the cultural city of
Jogyakarta, Central Java province.

There is a growing trend of both Christian and Muslim fanaticism in Indonesia
since the 1998 fall of former President Suhartos dictatorial regime, but
traditional resources for finding inter-religious solutions are also
increasingly being applied, the LWF group learnt from discussions with
religious, political and community leaders. The ten-member team consisting of
Christians and Muslims from Denmark, Indonesia, Nigeria and the USA also met
with individuals and groups in Medan, North Sumatra and in the political
capital Jakarta. 

In Indonesia, "the common cultural capital of the nation is more important
than its religious diversities," according to study team member Prof. Dr Amin
Abdullah, president of one of the countrys largest Islamic universities. He
noted that although the 50-year state ideology of Pancasila accepted the
religions of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam, most Indonesians
felt there was still an urgent need for grassroots initiatives aimed at
improving relations between religions and ethnic communities. He argued that
in the absence of strict state controls, recurring incidents of religious
strife testify to the challenges emerging with new freedoms in Indonesia, an
archipelago of 240 million inhabitants, comprising 87 percent Muslims, around
10 percent Christians and three percent Hindus and Buddhists.

The repeated calls for the application of Islamic law (sharia) is making both
Christians and Muslims nervous. "Pastors ask, do they want to turn Christians
into Muslims?" noted study team member Prof. Dr Jamilin Sirait, principal of
the Theological College of the Protestant Christian Batak Church in North
Sumatra. They fear that under sharia the status of Christians would be
reduced to that of second-class citizens, he said. 

In Indonesia many Muslims are of the opinion that sharia would help advance
the countrys fight against rampant corruption and poverty, but analyses on
the possible repercussions of this law indicate that its implications are not
well understood. It is also not widely known how Indonesian sharia would
differ from what is applied in other countries. The study team was informed
by members of Rahima, a Jakarta-based grassroots activist group that they now
begin their village workshops for women with the question: "How will your
position and freedom of movement change once sharia governs your life?"
 
Mr Agus Purnomo, a regional leader of the Justice Party (PKS), said his party
has stopped advocating for sharia. "This was similar to political suicide,"
he told the study team members. "All we want is for the government to adopt
Islamic values. Following methods from Christian liberation theology, we
formed basic communities that help people to become aware of their political
rights and instill a spirit of struggle in them," he explained.

The Sumatran group, Religious Leaders Forum for Harmony, a platform for
monthly discussions on inter-faith issues, told the study team that both
Christian and Muslim trends of fanaticism were a cause for inter-religious
strife. They cited the building of churches by evangelical Christian
missionary groups in the midst of mostly Muslim villages as an issue that
angers Muslims, leading to the destruction of churches. Some Muslims also
considered Christians usage of Arabic Islamic greetings as a threat to their
religious identity.

During its concluding meetings in Yogyakarta, home to the renowned Institute
of Inter-faith Dialogue in Indonesia (Interfidei), the study team saw
promising indications for dialogue among the countrys religiously diverse
communities. A new sanctuary, where worshippers from different religions can
offer prayers for the nation according to their respective faith tradition,
has been built just north of Yogyakarta, the national newspaper, Tempo
reported.

This transition from a controlled state to democracy is not easy, affirmed
Indonesian social critic Bakhtiar Effendi, speaking before the first direct
presidential elections on July 5. "Indonesia faces a multi-dimensional
crisis," he explained. "We have to re-design the nation and find new levels
of social, religious and political harmony." 

The LWF study team is led by Dr Ingo Wulfhorst, Department for Theology and
Studies study secretary for the Church and People of Other Faiths. Based on
its June 4-14 visit to Indonesia, similar meetings in Denmark last year, and
later this year in Africa, the group will present the results of its
three-year study at an international consultation in 2005, and will
subsequently publish study material. (762 words)

[The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 136 member
churches in 76 countries representing 62.3 million of the almost 66 million
Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas
of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith relations, theology,
humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service. Unless
specifically noted, material presented does not represent positions or
opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article
contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with
acknowledgment.]

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