Religious Pluralism in Indonesia

Kak Lidya recently gave me a collection of articles written by Indonesian scholars on the topic of religious pluralism within Indonesia. It's something that I can't help but think about here, so I thought I would try to gain a broader perspective. Not including the Philippines, where I was born and have strong cultural ties, Indonesia might be the most religious country I've ever lived in, in that religious ideology is officially embedded into the state philosophy of Pancasila.

It's interesting, the role and impact that Pancasila has had, historically, in terms of shaping the Indonesian identity. On the surface, this notion of "belief in one God", grouped with other values like humanism, unity, democracy, and social justice, seems to brilliantly serve this population of diverse people. In my every-day life I see peaceful co-existence among people of different faiths, as well as a sense of national pride in the diversity of Indonesian people. I saw this in my students when I was teaching at UNY, and I see this among my friendships.

But I've also become aware of the shortcomings of the system, considering the moments in which the government has failed to act in a fair and just way, especially when dealing with outbreaks of violence and discrimination towards minority groups, such as the Ahmadiyya sect and non-religious people. These groups are not officially recognized by the government as valid religions/philosophies**, and I think there's still a long way to go before minorities truly feel protected. Not only that, but religious tension exists in certain parts of the country, highlighting the limits of Indonesia's pluralistic philosophy.

Even with all these challenges, I am amazed at the ways in which people at the grassroots level have bridged differences in an effort to promote interfaith dialogue. My house is just one small example. Kak Lidya is an ordained minister of a Protestant church and is quite devoted to her faith, but she does a great job maintaining friendships and exchanging dialogue with people from other religious groups. Our house has hosted friends from different religious traditions, including a Catholic priest and a Muslim scholar, and every time these visitors come, we share good food and conversation.

Just the other day I met a PhD candidate, Mas Steve, a Christian, who is planning to conduct research on his home island of Ambon, the site of violent conflict among Christian and Muslim communities between the years 1999-2002, and more recently in 2011. Using the anthropological approach of participant observation, Mas Steve plans to live among a Muslim community to study their lifestyle, rituals, and Islamic beliefs, which are contextualized to the local situation and thus different from other parts of Indonesia. He hopes his research will be useful for peace-building efforts, especially for increasing understanding among Christian communities.

I've really enjoyed speaking with these different leaders, and it's inspiring to witness them all interact in a positive way, working towards a common goal of religious tolerance and social justice. I hope to post more about this in the future.


(**The Ministry of Religious Affairs officially recognizes and provides funding to six religious groups in Indonesia: Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism.)