Energy of the Peace Generation
Peace is an active word, not a passive one. It is a verb that must be campaigned for in every corner of the world. It is a manifestation of diversity. Such is the definition of peace, according to Irfan Amali, the initiator of the Peace Generation movement that has existed for a decade.
We were talking for quite long at the publishing office where Irfan works as the CEO on Monday (10/4/2017). He said, “I was a radical once, even if it was only in my mind.” The 40-year-old man smiles even when talking about serious issues.
The father of three explained how he held on to radical religious views when he was a teenager. Back then, his mind was filled with prejudices of injustice and oppression towards the religious community he is a member of.
“I used to be very easily triggered, as I was already a little radical in my mind. However, there was one corner of my brain that always questioned whether what I was doing was right or not,” said Irfan, who was included in a list of the top 500 most influential Muslims created by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Amman, Jordan, in 2010 and 2011.
One of the things Irfan is grateful foris his wonderful childhood. Irfan, who was born and raised in a village in Bandung, lived his childhood days in a diverse environment. He had Buddhist, Confucian and Christian neighbors. This diverse environment was deeply engraved in his brain and served as a strong fortress against external influences.
When he was an undergraduate student in mid-1998, he participated in an anti-violence campaign in Surakarta, Central Java. There, the filmmaker and scriptwriter got a better understanding of the concept of peace and how to campaign through various mediums.
He became even more familiar with the values of peace after participating in the Asia Pacific Youth Peace Forum in Cambodia in 2000. The event was held at a temple near Angkor Wat. For two weeks in Cambodia, Irfan said that he saw and felt how, in a Buddhist temple, peace was spread without having to influence a person’s religious adherence.
Cambodia is a country with a dark history of war and humanitarian tragedy. However, the country has got back onto its feet and is continuously spreading messages of peace. At the youth meeting, which lasted several days, the participants from the Asia Pacific region took turns to talk about their country’s dark history from their own experience.
However, the discussions were based on ideas of peace. “That is what inspired me. At a young age, they talked about peace, despite having personally experienced the dark times in their respective countries. That was, perhaps, my turning point,” said Irfan, who writes his name as Irfan Amalee.
What was more amazing for him was that the event was held at a center of religious activity. A temple became theplace for people to talk about peace from their personal perspectives.
At the time, Irfan wondered why no such thing had ever happened in Indonesia. With a wealth of strong cultures and religions, Indonesia should be the perfect place to campaign for peace.
“Islamic schools can become places where people see and learn about peaceful Islam. Churches and temples can be places where people from outside of those religions learn about how these religions view ideas of love and compassion,” said Irfan, who a few years ago initiated the Peacesantren movement, a portmanteau of the words peace and pesantren (Islamic boarding school).
The event seemed to have energized Irfan. Peace is not just about words or empty talk. It must be built through concrete steps and spread evenly through various mediums. Peace is not just about tolerance, but also empathy.
Peace generation
In mid-February, I met Irfan in Makassar. His welcoming smile has always been his trademark. At the time, Irfan was involved in the day-long Peacetival, or peace festival.
Peacetival included a coloring event for kids, a poetry-reading competition, a discussion and band performances. Local communities were invited to open stands in the festival area. Makassar was declared a city of peace.
The event symbolizes a continuous campaign for peace. So far, two Peacetivals have been held.
Peacetival was the culmination of events initiated by Irfan and his American partner, Erick Lincoln. Having met and become discussion partners quite a while ago, the two eventually initiated the Peace Generation movement in July 2007.
Peace Generation was managed by Irfan and his friends. After making a 12-point peace guide, he has continuously campaigned for youths to be involved in the movement.
“The 12 basic values serve as a guide. They include an acknowledgement of diversity and a willingness to apologize, among other traits. The values were formulated from prolonged discussions and day-to-day experiences,” said the writer of more than 50 books.
Peace Generation has already spread to numerous cities, from Aceh to Eastern Indonesia and even to neighboring countries. Basically, the movement aims for youth to be actively involved as peace campaigners. The movement has gathered numerous youths and encouraged them to campaign for peace.
“The main goal is to amplify this peace movement to a large extent. To do that, the generation needs a medium, a space and a movement. We do not want this to be an hollow movement. This is why we have tools to be transferred to the peace agents. They are the ones who will lead peace campaigns in their respective regions,” Irfan said.
Thus far, hundreds of teachers have obtained peace training. The teachers have spread messages of peace to a total of 3,000 students. The main targets are teachers of fourth grade up to high school. Irfan even has a module for kindergarten teachers. As a result of the peace-based teaching, the students become less aggressive.
What goal does Irfan see at the end of all of this? “I want to do this as my goal in life. It is my responsibility for the world and for children worldwide,” he added.