Silent Symbols that Commemorate Diversity

KOMPAS/ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH

Fishermen pull a trawl out of the water before sunset at Gampong Jawa Beach, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Saturday (29/12/2018). Ahead of the turn of the year, residents in a number of regions uphold the practice of tolerance. Indonesia is considered to be rich in tolerance practices that need to be preserved.

MALANG, KOMPAS - Ahead of the changing of the year, movements that foster tolerance and diversity flourish. They take the form not only in dialogue but also gatherings and development of regional tourism.

Out of remote villages, tolerance flows freely and provides spiritual shade, as locals foster tolerance that aims to withstand the test of time.

These movements take the form of not only interfaith or interethnic dialogue but also daily gatherings in hamlets and village tourism founded on the core basis of local families in building tolerance and diversity.

In Kajar hamlet, Wirotaman village, Ampelgading district, Malang regency, East Java, interfaith meetings are a part of life. The village on the southern slope of Mount Semeru has around 4,100 people. Of this amount, 75 percent are Muslim and the remaining 25 percent are Christians and Hindu adherents.

They live in three hamlets, namely Kajar, Sukodadi and Sukoanyar. Their houses of worship are located near one another. In Kajar, for instance, the Javanese Christian Church (GKJ) is only 100 meters away from the temple and the mosque.

Wirotaman village head Ahmad Sholeh said that the village had five mosques, 16 musholla (prayer room), three churches and three temples. “Here, tolerance has been the norm for a long time. As long as I am here, for the past 20 years, there has never been any friction between locals of different beliefs,” Ahmad said.

Peace

Two days before Christmas, Kompas visited Wirotaman village. The melodious chanting of people reading the Quran in a khataman ceremony (completion of Quran recital) could be heard from a house near the village hall, only 300 meters away from the GKJ. That morning, the GKJ was holding a service for around 50 locals. An atmosphere of peace fills the air.

There was no big activity at the GKJ apart from distribution of donations for local poor Christians. Christmas preparations were seen in the homes of those who would celebrate the holiday. This includes preparing snacks for neighbors and relatives, both Christians and Muslims, who would come on Christmas day and the following week. They come to congratulate those who celebrate the holiday.

It looks similar to Idul Fitri celebrations at the homes of Muslim families. “It looks a lot like Idul Fitri. There’s plenty of food for the guests,” said Kajar hamlet resident Sumiati, 55, a Christian.

A celebration of harmonious diversity could also be seen in Bangetayu Wetan sub-district, Genuk, Semarang. The home of Rev. Eka Laksa Purwibawa, the head of the Central Java chapter of the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI), is only 50 meters away from a mosque.

On Christmas day, Eka’s neighbors, most of whom were Muslims, voluntarily helped him prepare dishes. Similarly, during Idul Fitri celebrations, Christian and Catholic locals are involved.

Head of neighborhood unit (RT) 001 in community unit (RW) 007, Bangetayu Wetan subdistrict, Kartono, said that this portrait of harmony and diversity had been fostered for a long time. In their social lives, locals help and support one another. Locals foster social harmony through simple ways in daily meetings or “srawung”.

Diversity tourism

Tolerance movements can also be promoted through tourism. In Singkawang, West Kalimantan, the local administration, in collaboration with communities from various ethnicities and religions, have transformed Jl. Diponegoro into a display of tolerance. On Christmas, Idul Fitri and Chinese New Year, various religious symbols and paraphernalia adorn the thoroughfare.

Singkawang is a diverse city. Of its 215,296 residents, 40 percent are Chinese Peranakans, 29 percent are Malays, 9 percent are Dayaks and the remaining are of other ethnicities such as Madurese and Javanese.

In Toraja, South Sulawesi, locals from various ethnicities and religions were involved in the Lovely December series of events, which kicked off with the Getaran Sukma Ilahi (Vibrations of Godly Spirit) event on Dec. 1-9. The event comprised calls for prayers for all religious adherents by sounding the bells and traditional bedug and gendang drums in houses of worship. The event was listed in the 100 Wonderful Events Indonesia 2018.

“Tourism is a popular way that transcends boundaries and can move the people to foster tolerance and diversity,” Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said.

Social observer and Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) humanities researcher Ahmad Najib Burhani said traditions of tolerance could be found in many places across the archipelago. He quoted Muslim scholar Buya Afif Hamka, the son of the late and legendary Muslim scholar Buya Hamka, that Hamka and his family were used to cooking opor (curry dishes) for their Christian neighbors on Christmas day. Buya Hamka also sent them Christmas greetings. “What he banned, which later became a fatwa at the Indonesian Council of Ulemas [MUI] was to participate in Christmas masses or prayers,” Najib said.

Nevertheless, Najib continued, in line with globalization and the strengthening of identities in national politics, identity-based segmentations and segregations of the populace is becoming stronger. It is getting easier to find residential clusters based on certain religions. Schools with emphasis on certain religious identities and segregative religious activities in state schools are flourishing. Even in cemeteries, there is an increasing trend of religion-based clustering and segregation.

However, Najib said, this was still better than the conditions in countries like India or Lebanon. “What I want to emphasize with these examples in terms of tolerance and religious harmony is that we need to learn more from each other than from outsiders. The harmony in this country is far better and more natural than in other countries. This needs to be preserved and fostered. It needs to be strengthened, either through laws or education,” he explained.

According to Najib, the examples of tolerance in villages are gret references. Locals sincerely and naturally uphold values of tolerance that withstand the test of time. (REN/DIT/WER/ESA/HEN/MHF)