I attended Dian Interfidei's interfaith workshop today at an Islamic boarding school. The purpose of the school is to bring people of all religions together. Every saturday morning, discussions are held at different locations.
Though it was difficult to follow the conversation, it was interesting to observe the interactions between the students. The students were all friendly with one another, and it seemed like they were even friends outside of these discussions. It was impossible to see the deep seated-animosity between the religions, although it is publicly noticeable in certain parts of Yogyakarta. Just yesterday, a group of Christians were attacked while praying in their own homes. It's safe to say that ignorance and prejudice does not exist among these select group of students.
Though Indonesia is primarily a Muslim country, with over 200 million Muslims, the other religions also make up a large portion of the population. In order to keep the peace among the different groups, acceptance is crucial. Based on my observations, Dian Interfidei has done wonders in reducing ignorance. I met a girl today who was once part of the Indonesian version of the Muslim Brotherhood. She told me that she was very conservative and she did not accept the other religions because of the false information she was taught. Now, a couple years after being a student in the program, she is one of the people responsible for organizing it.
I have lots of hope that Interfidei will accomplish great things one step at a time.
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