INDONESIA may be the most populous Muslim nation in the world yet religious tolerance in the country has improved by leaps and bounds especially under the leadership of President Joko “Jokowi’ Widodo.
This is despite the country finding it a struggle to uphold its blasphemy law which has often been accused of been abused as weapon of the powerful majority to restrict minority groups from exercising their faith or to bridle freedom of expression.
Jokowi, as he is affectionately known, maybe a staunch Muslim at heart but he subscribes to the Islamic concept of equality to the extent that he believes that “non-Muslims have the rights to be the president of Indonesia in the not so distant future”.
Opening the virtual national conference of the Indonesia Institute of Islamic Da’wah (LDII) in April last year, Jokowi said there is no room for intolerance and close-mindedness in the country.
“The Indonesian government is committed and will keep striving to encourage religious moderation. Intolerant acts, especially those with physical and verbal violence, must disappear from Indonesia,” he underlined.
“Close-mindedness and exclusivity will trigger and increase intolerance which will break foundations of our nationality.’
On Jan 22 last year, Jokowi demonstrated his liberal stance when he named a Christian as the new national police chief – the third person from the religious minority to hold the post in the Muslim-majority nation.
Commissioner General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, a Protestant, was the only nominee and was approved by the Indonesian Parliament two days earlier.
Prabowo’s appointment comes after a leading figure in the Indonesian Ulema Council, the country’s top Islamic clerical body, sparked controversy by saying the new police chief must be Muslim.
Father Paulus Christian Siswantoko, executive secretary of the Indonesian Bishops’ Commission for the Laity, said Jokowi wanted to show that every Indonesian citizen has an equal right to become a leader that by appointing a new chief from a minority religion.
Interestingly, Prabowo was allowed to take oath by swearing on a bible with Jokowi asking the former two questions before the swearing-in ceremony:
- Affirmation of his Christian faith; and
- Preparedness to take the oath according to the Christian way.
As the Lunar New Year approaches, Indonesia’s national news agency, Antara, has put in effort to showcase diversity with an article of ethnic Chinese in the Gorontalo City performing Taoist-style prayers “to send off the Kitchen God who is duty-bound to submit his annual report on household conduct to the Jade Emperor before Chinese New Year”.
Spiritual leader William Rabu who led prayers had sought for blessing for a quick end to the COVID-19 pandemic and for economic activities to resume “with bountiful harvest for farmers, fishermen and the business community”.
He added all rituals leading to the Lunar New Year which falls on Feb 1 would abide by similar standard operating procedures (SOPs) of the previous year.
For the Hindu faith, Indonesia has the Candi Prambanan – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – which is reputed to be the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia and the second-largest in Southeast Asia after Angkor Wat.
The eighth century Hindu temple compound in the Special Region of Yogyakarta is dedicated to the Trimūrti, the expression of God as the Creator (Brahma), the Preserver (Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva). – Jan 28, 2022
