Interfaith dialogue among young Indonesians
On 18-20 November 2022 two Xaverian students of the Philosophy community, in Jakarta, Adrianus Lambu and Daniel Munthe, joined an interfaith dialogue event in Bogor (West Java). This dialogue activity was organized by the Jakarta Regional Young Interfaith Peacemaker Community (YIPC). This ‘association’ is a community that cares about peace issues and their implementation among young people by holding a concept of peace education in the form of a camp called the Student Interfaith Peace Camp. The activity was attended by 31 young people from Jakarta and surrounding cities which are inhabited by Muslim (NU = Nahdatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah, and Ahmadiyah) and Christian population (Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox).
This dialogue activity was very interesting and useful. First, the participants (among them, the two of us) were invited to honestly express negative prejudices about people of other religions, while the facilitators guided the participants to provide clarifications related to bad prejudices or correct wrong visions about other religions. Second, we were provided with the values of peace, so that each participant, after the peace camp, may be able to be a peacemaker in everyday life. Third, we were given an understanding of the importance of Interfaith Dialogue, which specifically seeks and finds the shared values of the Holy Scriptures in religious teachings for a better understanding of each other. Fourth, the dialogue activity equipped each participant with the importance of building a peaceful relationship with God, oneself, and others as well as the surrounding environment.
This activity is motivated by the many inter-religious conflicts that damage peaceful coexistence among peoples and countries. For instance: the radical ISIS movement, the various cases of ethnic, religious and race conflicts, the acts of terrorism that continue to be a global concern, such as the situation of the Taliban (Afghanistan), the Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict, Nigeria's bloody conflict, the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka, and various other cases. The existence of groups of people who often impose their principles or ideas with violence is a very worrying fact. The true values that come from the teachings of religions, namely peace and love, must continue to be upheld and fomented against the current narratives of hate.
Various events that occur globally, also affect – to a certain extent – the situation in Indonesia. Although Indonesia is known as a nation with the motto "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" (Unity in Diversity), conflicts between religious believers still occur, especially between Muslims and Christians, or between people with different denominations that belong to any of the two religions. Indonesians are still often trapped in a very narrow and 'exclusive' perception of identity and, knowingly or unknowingly, often tend to build walls and keep their distance from "different" groups: in terms of ethnicity, religion, race, political choice, denomination of creed, and so on.
Violence between religious communities is also still happening; for instance, the burning of the Ahmadiyah Mosque in Sintang (West Kalimantan), in September 2021 by certain elements and the rejection of the establishment of the Church in Cilegon (West Java). Furthermore, the SETARA Institute (Institute for Democracy and Peace) found that in 2020 there were 25 cases of refusal - by local communities - to build places of worship or to implement worship activities in Indonesia. There is another narrative of intolerance spreading through seminaries “wrapped or disguised” in religious teachings, the substance of which often results in an ideology that destroys what makes unity in diversity possible (the seams of diversity). As of September 2021, Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Terorisme (National Counter-Terrorism Agency) estimates that the number of family members and sympathizers of terrorist organizations in Indonesia reaches around 17,000 people. Therefore, it is very important that the next generation of young people, especially future religious leaders, be trained and educated in the values of tolerance; all this starting from an early age as one of the steps to prevent conflicts between religious communities.
We, Adriano and Daniel, gladly participated in this activity. Indeed, as young Xaverians, knowing and learning to dialogue with other faiths and cultures is part of our preparation for our missionary service in the future; like our Ratio n. 66.1 says: “A sufficient knowledge of the history and spiritual tradition of the other religions is a necessary basis for engagement in constructive dialogue with other religions. Preparation for this dialogue should be initiated in the basic formation period.”
(by Adrianus Lambu sx and Daniel Munthe sx)
