Business as usual?<\/p>\n
After the celebration of Idul Fitri, business as usual is the
\nlast thing we want. Fitri refers to a state of being cleansed, a
\nlife begun anew with a clean slate after a month of fasting and
\ntrying not to give in to worldly desires. Needless to say, the
\nearthly human may struggle mightily to leave all sins and bad
\nhabits behind, but relatively few will likely manage to claim
\nthat they feel they have progressed spiritually, at least by
\ntheir own standards, by the time they reach the \"day of victory\",
\nas Idul Fitri is also known.<\/p>\n
This year's Ramadhan, in particular, was a showcase of
\nchilling contrast: the spirit of calm contemplation and
\nintensified worship on the one hand, and the lengths to which
\ncertain people will go to in order to remind us how uncivilized
\nand barbaric humans can be on the other hand.<\/p>\n
One heinous crime after another occurred throughout the month.
\nFrom the Bali terror attacks at the beginning of the month to the
\nsavage schoolgirl beheadings at the end of the month.<\/p>\n
Among the Balinese, religious divisions between Hindus and
\nMuslims were at least partially blamed for the violence that
\noccurred days before their important religious commemoration of
\nGalungan. Muslims continued to maintain that such acts could not
\nhave come from people with a true understanding of their
\nteachings.<\/p>\n
Days before Idul Fitri, the beheading of three Christian
\nschoolgirls in Poso, Central Sulawesi brought condemnation again
\nfrom around the world; even from Pope Benedict XVI. Some local
\nleaders and even parents of one of the victims in Poso, however,
\nindicated that they did not believe it was the act of their
\nMuslim neighbors. Andreas Yewangoe who heads the Indonesian
\nCommunion of Churches (PGI) aptly summed up the pain of the
\nentire community -- still grieving from the communal violence a
\nfew years ago: \"Why did the killings take place as both the
\nMuslim and Christian communities were successfully improving
\ntheir relationship, moving away from hostility?\"<\/p>\n
Authorities called for restraint, reminding the public of the
\nlikely provocation which could, if unchecked, lead to similar
\nbloodbaths that occurred both in Poso and, earlier, the Maluku
\nislands.<\/p>\n
Business as usual would mean the mere dismissal of violent
\nacts as those carried out by a small, unimportant \"minority\" or,
\nin the words of the chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council, Din
\nSyamsuddin, \"atheists.\"<\/p>\n
Such statements may aim to appease many among the faithful
\nthat the bad guys who were clearly made for hell and were not one
\nof \"us\"; they must have been one of \"them.\" Surely men in masks
\nchopping off children's heads could not in any way be decent
\npeople no matter what their religion was and regardless of
\nwhether they had one.<\/p>\n
But our leaders cannot stop there. Every one of us continues
\nto remain a potential victim of violence as long as the twisted
\nmasterminds aim to exploit our diversity, even though the
\nmotivation of the terrorist acts may be specific to each
\nlocation. The PGI chairman pointed out that he felt local leaders
\nin Poso had done enough to try and heal the feelings of revenge
\namong the different religious communities, but that law
\nenforcement was grossly lacking.<\/p>\n
Would the same apply on a national scale? Have spiritual
\nleaders and those chairing the religious organizations done
\nenough to stress the need to respect one another and live
\ntogether in peace? Have they really gone all out to show what
\ntolerance implies?<\/p>\n
One look at the ongoing squabble between Christians in Bekasi
\nwho until last week had resorted to holding mass on the street
\nsince their church was blocked by a group of Muslims -- is yet
\nanother absurd, but saddening example of how far we have to go.<\/p>\n
Each incident of violence splashes on to the headlines before
\nfading away. But following each case of bloodletting that seems
\nrelated to our diversity, survivors such as the millions in
\nMaluku and Bali were left painfully pondering whether they could
\ncontinue to live side by side with their neighbors.<\/p>\n
If we are to live up to one message of Idul Fitri to cleanse
\nourselves and begin anew before one's Maker and one's neighbors,
\nwe would like to see much more from our leaders of religious
\ncommunities in taking up the crucial role of public education --
\nassuming that most Indonesians are religious, as we have been
\ntold, rather than \"atheistic.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/business-as-usual-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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