'It's now very dangerous to be different'<\/p>\n
A mob attacked the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI) in
\nParung, Bogor, two weeks ago, believing that Ahmadiyah teachings
\nran counter to Islam. None of the attackers were apprehended, and
\nthe government has banned the movement. The Jakarta Post asked
\nresidents for their comments on this matter.<\/p>\n
Ida, 40, is a homemaker. She lives with her husband and three
\nchildren in Cililitan, East Jakarta:<\/p>\n
Two of my children are now in senior high school and
\nuniversity. They have joined a religious discussion group in
\ntheir own school. I think they have a tendency to be liberal and
\ndifferent from my own traditional Islamic beliefs.<\/p>\n
I respect what they believe, and it's probably a part of a
\nprocess of maturing. However, the recent attack on Ahmadiyah by
\nradical groups makes me worry. I am afraid that my children will
\nbe the next target as what they are learning is different from
\nmainstream teachings.<\/p>\n
I am thinking about them everyday. Recently, I warned them to
\nstop going to the discussion group for a while to avoid any
\nthreats.<\/p>\n
It seems that it is now very dangerous to have different
\nbeliefs in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Wulandari, 38, is a teacher at a junior high school in Bumi
\nSerpong Damai (BSD) city. She lives in Cisauk district, Serpong,
\nTangerang regency:<\/p>\n
In this plural society, tolerance is a key word for us so that
\nwe can live in harmony.<\/p>\n
Islam teaches its followers to be tolerant towards other
\nfaiths. I think other religions also do the same. The Prophet
\nMuhammad used to say, \"Your religion is your religion. My
\nreligion is my religion.\"<\/p>\n
Tolerance does not mean that we must agree with ideas or
\nfaiths of other people. We, however, must respect their ideas or
\nfaiths and we must not force other people to agree with our ideas
\nor faiths.<\/p>\n
Problems often occur when people cannot accept that.<\/p>\n
-- The Jakarta Post<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/its-now-very-dangerous-to-be-different-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }