Indonesia: Pluralism in Peril

Benedict Rogers delivered a presentation on Pluralism in Peril at the office today. Having read his entire report beforehand, it was easy to follow his presentation. Every now and again, someone would translate what he was saying in Bahasa Indonesia.
The main point of his report is that there is a rise of religious intolerance across the archipelago. He explained that the Pancasila, the official philosophical foundation of the Indonesian state, strongly advocated 5 points:

1. Belief in the one and only God
2. Just and civilized humanity
3. The unity of Indonesia
4. Democracy led by the wisdom of deliberations among representatives
5. Social Justice for the whole of the people in Indonesia. 

Although it is undeniable that the second and fifth point imply religious tolerance, this is no longer the case in certain parts of Indonesia. During my short time in Yogya, there have already been several instances of religious intolerance. Just a couple days ago, a radical group of Muslims publicly expressed their distaste towards pluralism. 

In his report, Benedict argues that the government has actively contributed to the problem, by supporting the oppressive fatwas, as well as by fuelling ignorance. In addition, the police are ineffective because they do not stop any verbal attacks on the minority groups. 

The presentation was interesting and useful, since it has given be a thorough understanding of the problems faced by many minority groups. I will be able to use the information I have learned for my presentation on thursday, since this topic relates to Human Rights and Religion, as well as for my research paper on Shia Muslims. 

A Javanese Wedding

For the past week we had been searching for a wedding to crash, but luckily, our neighbour's daughter is getting married today. As soon as we arrived, a lady at the registration desk greeted us and presented us with a tasbih as a token of appreciation. The bride and groom looked dashing on stage in their matching outfits. As per tradition, the bride and groom have to match, and so do the in-laws. All were wearing red. We sat through the Qur'anic readings and speeches which were conducted in Javanese, as opposed to in Indonesian. The heat was unbearable but the experience of taking part in a Javanese wedding was definitely worth it. 

Dream Land

Ben, Sarah's friend from work, invited us to an art exhibit this evening. The exhibit, Dream Land, explores the aspirations of Indonesia over a hundred years, as reflected through popular culture. The description states that "the exhibition highlights the often stark difference between 'Dream and Reality, and, as an election approaches, challenges us to think critically about the values that define us as individuals, as a community and as a nation".  

This one is from 2012:

The exhibit was interesting because of the art work displayed as well as its environment. The people were completely different than that of the conservative Indonesians that come to mind when thinking of a Muslim country. Most women did not wear a hijab, the men were covered in tattoos, and many were relaxing or chatting while drinking beer. 

Settling Down

Recap:

Monday was our first official full day of work. We finally got our schedule for the next month. My first project is on Human Rights and Religion, which I will be presenting next Thursday. At night, we hung out with a British girl named Jordanne. She started her journey in India with a group of people in January, then continued to explore alone for the next four months. She encouraged me to travel alone and assured me that it's not lonely because you meet tons of new and interesting people along the way. Jordanne was an extremely brave person since she left her comfort zone and travelled across Asia to find inspiration for a jewellery line that she had started in London.

Tuesday was relaxing since we got a massage after work.

Wednesday was the most useful Bahasa class that we've had so far. We finally learned how to tell time and how to a taxi.

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Today's been the most productive day of work so far. This morning Winona and I taught our first English class to the staff of Dian Interfidei. We focused on developing their conversational skills by talking about movies, books, and playing 20 questions. Towards the end of our lesson, two girls from Holland came to visit the office. They've been working in a small village about an hour away from Yogya. The two girls, both named Eva, are helping with empowering women. Winona and I instantly clicked with the girls, and are planning to meet up with them tonight for dinner.

I'm happy that things are finally starting to settle down in the office.

Nirvana

As I walked through the front gates of the monastery, my breath was taken away. A monk was waiting for us in front of five beautiful stone statues, which were displayed in a bank of water. 

The monk beckoned us to a white building. Before entering, we removed our shoes and walked into a bright carpeted room. On the floor were seven orange cushions that faced a large gold Buddha. The monk introduced himself before giving us a brief introduction to Buddhism. He explained that there were two main kinds, Theravada and Mahayana, and that this monastery followed the teachings of Theravada. There are 227 rules that the monks must follow in order to practice; one example is that it is forbidden to have any sexual relations with women. He also said that the monks must study for one year at the monastery and that they must travel to impart their knowledge to other Buddhists for one year. After giving us his introduction, he allowed us to ask him some personal questions. Some of the questions were: 1) How often are you allowed to meet your family? "Every six months". 2) What made you convert from Catholicism to Buddhism? "Ten years ago I read a book on Buddhism, and ever since then I had been intrigued. The concepts made sense but I didn't understand how to put it into affect so I decided to learn more about it". 3) How often do you eat? "Twice a day- breakfast and dinner. 4) Who funds the monasteries? "Lay people". 

Once the introduction was over, he gave us a tour of the monastery. He showed us structures that represented different stages in the Buddha's quest for Enlightenment. There was a stone statue of a starving Buddha and another of the Buddha after he had found a balance. The monk explained that in order to attain Enlightenment, the Buddha realized that he cannot suffer by starving himself, nor can he indulge in his desires by eating too much. The Buddha had to find a balance between the two. He also he showed us the Bodhi tree, which was the tree under which the Buddha found Enlightenment, and a flower from the tree under which the Buddha was born. 

Once the tour of the monastery was complete, we returned back to the white building for our meditation session. While we were meditating, the monk instructed us on where to focus our mind. He went through the different parts of the body, while reminding us to pay attention to any other sensations. After our session, the Buddha offered us some general advice!

BUT... The day wasn't over yet... 

After visiting the monastery, we visited Borobudur Temple, which is a Mahayana Buddhist temple from the 9th Century. 

Certain parts of the temple had been buried for thousands of years due to the volcanic ashes. It was only in 1814 that it was re-discovered. For a few years after that, UNESCO and the Indonesian government started a project to restore the temple. 

The temple was not too tall but it was extremely wide. There were four entrances that led to different levels, which symbolized the different stages required to reach enlightenment. Each level had stone carvings that illustrated stories. For example, on the first level which is that of desire, there were stories about gossip, prostitution and alcohol. Our tour guide took us to each level and explained some of the stories. 

At the top of the temple, the view was stunning. 

It was interesting to learn about the same religion, but in two different scenarios. The temple was quiet and serene whereas Borobudur was a historic landsite that was bursting with people. Overall, it has been the best day so far!

Creating Acceptance

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.

"An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind" - Gandhi

At work today, Winona and I made a poster for Dian Interfidei's Interfaith campaign.