Bali enjoys peaceful, harmonious religious life<\/p>\n
Rita A. Widiadana and I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar<\/p>\n
As parts of Indonesia remain locked in bitter ethnic and
\nreligious conflict, the Hindu-dominated island of Bali witnesses
\nreligious harmony among followers of different faiths.<\/p>\n
During Idul Fitri, for instance, thousands of Muslim residents
\nflocked to several places in Puputan park, Lumintang soccer
\nfield, Dalung in Denpasar to pray.<\/p>\n
Although only a few thousand Muslims celebrated Idul Fitri, it
\ndid not loose its festive atmosphere with hundreds of youngsters
\nparading along Denpasar's main streets to perform Bedug Lebaran
\n(beating drums while praising God's greatness) on Takbiran (the
\nEve of Idul Fitri).<\/p>\n
Joyful atmospheres were also seen in some Islam villages on
\nthe island, like Kampung Bugis and Kepaon in Denpasar, Pegayaman
\nvillage in Buleleng (North Bali) and Loloan village in Jembrana
\n(West Bali).<\/p>\n
Ali Mumin, a Madurese who has been living in Bali for 10
\nyears, said Idul Fitri celebrations on the island were still less
\njoyous than in his hometown.<\/p>\n
\"But of course, we can't expect to celebrate Idul Fitri in the
\nway we used to do it in our hometown. Bali is a Hindu island. But
\nstill we thank God that we don't live in Maluku or Poso where
\nMuslims and Christians are battling.\"<\/p>\n
A week after Muslims observed Idul Fitri, it's Christian and
\nCatholic communities turn to celebrate Christmas and the New
\nYear.<\/p>\n
Father S. Subaga from the St. Yoseph Catholic Church in
\nDenpasar said that so far Bali had been a fertile ground for
\nreligious tolerance although in other parts of the country,
\nchurches, especially during Christmas services, had been targeted
\nby those who aimed to destroy religious harmony.<\/p>\n
He has strong beliefs that close relations among different
\nreligions in Bali would prevent religious conflicts on the
\nisland.<\/p>\n
\"(There are) only a very small number of people in the country
\nwho want to politicize religion for their own purposes,\" he said,
\nadding that the world would be watching if any ethnic or
\nreligious conflict struck Bali.<\/p>\n
Prominent Hindu scholar Ketut Wiana explained that harmonious
\nrelations between religions in Bali might come from the fact that
\nHindu people believed in treating others better.<\/p>\n
\"As a Hindu, we believe in the teaching of Atiti Yadnya which
\nrequires us to treat people, regardless of faith, in a better way
\nthan we treat ourselves,\" Wiana said.<\/p>\n
Since its beginnings, the Hindu religion in Bali has been
\nclosely related to Buddhism. The Hindu-Balinese religion was
\nderived from the Majapahit kingdom whose kings and residents
\nadopted Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism. In the present day, many
\nBalinese make no distinction between the Hinduism that they
\npractice and Buddhism.<\/p>\n
Wiana added that Hindu Bali is not an expansive or missionary
\nreligion in nature. \"We have never intended to spread our
\nreligion to followers of other faiths and therefore, religious
\nand cultural conflicts rarely take place here,\" Wiana said.<\/p>\n
Historically, many kings and royal families in Bali were known
\nfor their openness and tolerance.<\/p>\n
\"There were a number of noble families in Bali who provided
\nlands and helped build mosques and other places of worship for
\nMuslim communities,\" Wiana said.<\/p>\n
In Buleleng regency, North Bali, for instance, King Ki Gusti
\nAnglurah Panji Sakti gave the Muslim community a plot of land
\ncalled Pagayaman village and even initiated the construction of a
\ngrand mosque in Kajanan village in Singaraja.<\/p>\n
In Karang Asem, East Bali, the nobility there provided
\nfinancial assistance to Muslims wanting to perform the Haj
\npilgrimage to Mecca.<\/p>\n
Apart from the Balinese Hindus, Muslims and Christians, a
\nsizable Chinese population practicing Confucianism or Khonghucu
\ncan also be found in Bali. The influence of Balinese Chinese to
\nthe island's culture is far greater than most people realize. A
\nnumber of Chinese temples or klenteng can be found scattered
\naround the island. The Chinese temples are found, for example, in
\nBlabatuh near Gianyar, in Denpasar, Kuta, Singaraja, Tabanan and
\nTanjung Benoa.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bali-enjoys-peaceful-harmonious-religious-life-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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