(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The latest reports on religious tolerance by the Wahid Institute and Human Rights Watch have put Indonesia in the spotlight. The reports highlight attacks on religious minorities including Shia Muslims, Christians and Ahmadis.
Handoyo Sudiro, a 52 year-old resident of Tangerang, West Java, says the findings offer an opportunity to improve religious harmony after two very difficult years.
"Within the last two years, we are really facing a hard time. It was just last year that three Shia died in the attacks in Sampang, Madura. Not only that, hundreds of Shia refugees are still fighting uncertainty," he told Khabar Southeast Asia.
"We also have had various attacks in West Java. The worst was in Cikeusik, Banten where 1,500 Islamic militants attacked Ahmadi followers, and another three people were killed," he continued.
Handoyo believes Indonesians should see the reports positively.
"We can use the reports as a way to continue improving our tolerance and harmony in the region," he said.
He said building tolerance is not solely the responsibility of the government.
"I know that the reports seem to be focusing on the authorities. However, it is indeed all our responsibility – the community, educators, and religious leaders. Each of us is responsible," he added.
"Not too late to overcome"
A similar response came from Sampang regency in Madura. Abdur Alkawi, a religious leader in Sampang, said religious leaders must get together to hold a dialogue among their followers to determine what needs to be done to improve religious tolerance in their region.
"Since last year's incident, the communities along with various government representatives in Sampang and the gubernatorial office in East Java as well as representatives from Jakarta have been meeting to address the situation," he told Khabar by phone from Sampang.
Abdur said it is important to encourage people to live in tolerance through education, religious teachings, movies, and social media.
"It is not too late to overcome [intolerance]. We have been living under the national motto of 'Bhineka Tunggal Ika,' a Sanskrit phrase for 'Unity in Diversity'," he said.
Abdur also noted that on February 1st, an official of the Presidential Advisory Council (Dewan Pertimbangan Presiden/Watimpres), Albert Hasibuan, visited Shia refugees displaced by the violence.
Albert met with Iklil, the brother of Tajul Muluk, a Shia leader who was sentenced to two years in prison in July 2012 by the Sampang District Court for deviant religious teachings and causing public anxiety. Both men's homes were burned down in late 2011.
According to Abdur, Iklil said that he and other Shia refugees are eager to go home. However, they do not want to be blamed or labeled as guilty citizens.
"We need dialogue to make clear that the government and the community will welcome Shia followers to go back home and that both Sunni and Shia will agree to live in tolerance," he said.
Recipes for recovery
Hasyim Muzadi, Secretary General of the International Conference of Islamic Scholars (ICIS), spoke with Khabar during the Asia Muslim-Christian leaders conference, held February 24th-March 1st, 2013. He said most of the religious conflict in Indonesia was caused not by religious fanaticism but by political, social, and economic problems.
Asked about the findings of the Wahid Institute, which cited "a serious level" of religious intolerance in Indonesia in 2012, Hasyim said he expects there will be improvement in addressing intolerance in Indonesia specifically and Asia in general.
"We expect that through this conference, religious leaders will improve their relationships and be able to address social problems like injustice and other forms of social and economic conflict," he said.
Intolerance in Indonesia is caused by various factors, and each region remains different, according to Samsu Rizal Panggabean of the Center for Security and Peace Studies (Peneliti Pusat Studi Keamanan dan Perdamaian /PSKP) at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.
According to Rizal, due to the different roots of conflict, solutions will also be different. However, regardless of the root of the conflict, dialogue is necessary.
"In the Sampang conflict, Sunni and Shia followers need to sit down. They will need intermediaries to talk about what happened and how they will overcome the situation in the future," he said.
Rizal agreed that the conflict in Sampang will require both side to identify sensitivities, improve understanding, and conduct activities together as a process of recovering.
In the end, dialogue, understanding, and participation are the key elements to increasing levels of trust and tolerance.
"I think everyone would like to see improvements in many places including West Java, Ambon, Poso, Makasar , Sampang and other places this coming year," he said.
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Handoyo Sudiro, a 52 year-old resident of Tangerang, West Java, says the findings offer an opportunity to improve religious harmony after two very difficult years.
"Within the last two years, we are really facing a hard time. It was just last year that three Shia died in the attacks in Sampang, Madura. Not only that, hundreds of Shia refugees are still fighting uncertainty," he told Khabar Southeast Asia.
"We also have had various attacks in West Java. The worst was in Cikeusik, Banten where 1,500 Islamic militants attacked Ahmadi followers, and another three people were killed," he continued.
Handoyo believes Indonesians should see the reports positively.
"We can use the reports as a way to continue improving our tolerance and harmony in the region," he said.
He said building tolerance is not solely the responsibility of the government.
"I know that the reports seem to be focusing on the authorities. However, it is indeed all our responsibility – the community, educators, and religious leaders. Each of us is responsible," he added.
"Not too late to overcome"
A similar response came from Sampang regency in Madura. Abdur Alkawi, a religious leader in Sampang, said religious leaders must get together to hold a dialogue among their followers to determine what needs to be done to improve religious tolerance in their region.
"Since last year's incident, the communities along with various government representatives in Sampang and the gubernatorial office in East Java as well as representatives from Jakarta have been meeting to address the situation," he told Khabar by phone from Sampang.
Abdur said it is important to encourage people to live in tolerance through education, religious teachings, movies, and social media.
"It is not too late to overcome [intolerance]. We have been living under the national motto of 'Bhineka Tunggal Ika,' a Sanskrit phrase for 'Unity in Diversity'," he said.
Abdur also noted that on February 1st, an official of the Presidential Advisory Council (Dewan Pertimbangan Presiden/Watimpres), Albert Hasibuan, visited Shia refugees displaced by the violence.
Albert met with Iklil, the brother of Tajul Muluk, a Shia leader who was sentenced to two years in prison in July 2012 by the Sampang District Court for deviant religious teachings and causing public anxiety. Both men's homes were burned down in late 2011.
According to Abdur, Iklil said that he and other Shia refugees are eager to go home. However, they do not want to be blamed or labeled as guilty citizens.
"We need dialogue to make clear that the government and the community will welcome Shia followers to go back home and that both Sunni and Shia will agree to live in tolerance," he said.
Recipes for recovery
Hasyim Muzadi, Secretary General of the International Conference of Islamic Scholars (ICIS), spoke with Khabar during the Asia Muslim-Christian leaders conference, held February 24th-March 1st, 2013. He said most of the religious conflict in Indonesia was caused not by religious fanaticism but by political, social, and economic problems.
Asked about the findings of the Wahid Institute, which cited "a serious level" of religious intolerance in Indonesia in 2012, Hasyim said he expects there will be improvement in addressing intolerance in Indonesia specifically and Asia in general.
"We expect that through this conference, religious leaders will improve their relationships and be able to address social problems like injustice and other forms of social and economic conflict," he said.
Intolerance in Indonesia is caused by various factors, and each region remains different, according to Samsu Rizal Panggabean of the Center for Security and Peace Studies (Peneliti Pusat Studi Keamanan dan Perdamaian /PSKP) at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.
According to Rizal, due to the different roots of conflict, solutions will also be different. However, regardless of the root of the conflict, dialogue is necessary.
"In the Sampang conflict, Sunni and Shia followers need to sit down. They will need intermediaries to talk about what happened and how they will overcome the situation in the future," he said.
Rizal agreed that the conflict in Sampang will require both side to identify sensitivities, improve understanding, and conduct activities together as a process of recovering.
In the end, dialogue, understanding, and participation are the key elements to increasing levels of trust and tolerance.
"I think everyone would like to see improvements in many places including West Java, Ambon, Poso, Makasar , Sampang and other places this coming year," he said.
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