Yogya, safe haven for religious diversity<\/p>\n
Intan Darmawati, Contributor, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta has of late been the talk of the international
\ncommunity for allegedly harboring terrorists. The U.S. has gone
\nas far as calling on its citizens to leave the city.<\/p>\n
The word \"terrorist\" brings to mind armed and aggressive
\npeople that terrorize peace-loving residents. Does Yogyakarta
\npresent this picture?<\/p>\n
Regardless of the veracity of the allegations, if you take a
\nwalk around Yogyakarta you will likely see men wearing Arabic
\nMuslim garb in shops or other public places. They have beards and
\nwear turbans and loose robes.<\/p>\n
In the area of Kauman or around the State Institute of Islamic
\nStudies, you can also find people wearing Muslim garb (usually
\nthe men do not wear robes and turbans, but rather rimless caps of
\nblack velvet and sarongs, while the women wear conventional veils
\nthat do not cover their faces). They often get together to
\ndiscuss matters from religiosity to post-modernism.<\/p>\n
There is a different atmosphere on the campuses of
\nMuhammadiyah University and the Indonesian Islamic University
\n(UII). On these campuses, usually just the women wear Muslim garb
\n-- in a different style and fashion, of course.<\/p>\n
In the same city, you can find young people putting on their
\n\"modern-style\" clothes, or other young people without any sign of
\ntheir religion riding motorbikes together or just sitting
\naround.<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta, the area of Muntilan in particular, was among the
\nfirst areas in the country for Catholic missionaries. Seminaries,
\nmonasteries, pilgrimage sites and churches, as well as Catholics,
\nare all here. There are quite a lot of strongly rooted
\nmissionaries. Recognized or not, the role of the Catholic mission
\nand the activities of Catholics in general are important to
\nsocial life in Yogyakarta. In Sengkan area we can find roads
\nusing uniquely Christian names.<\/p>\n
The same phenomenon is also found among the Protestants. Kiai
\nSadrah is not an alien name, and the work of the Javanese
\nChristian Church cannot be negated. Some members, for example,
\nare interested in introducing the Bible to others, while others
\nundertake humanitarian work.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, despite subordination to the various religions,
\nKejawen, an indigenous and traditional belief, is undeniably
\nstill deeply rooted in its varied forms. The Kejawen philosophy
\nhas become part and parcel with the Javanese way of life in
\nYogyakarta and therefore plays an important role in everyday life
\nhere.<\/p>\n
Buddhism has also developed in Yogyakarta and its immediate
\nsurroundings. In Magelang, a cool town north of Yogyakarta, there
\nare still remnants indicating the former glory of Buddhism. The
\nBorobudur Temple, a Buddhist temple, has become the pride of
\nIndonesians. Other beliefs, like Hinduism and Confucianism, also
\nhave their followers.<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta provides an atmosphere conducive to the growth of
\nvarious religions, despite the strong feudalism inherent in this
\ncity. It must be said that Yogya is a haven for various kinds of
\nexpressions about the relationship between humans and God. Often,
\nfeudalism is positioned as the opposite of democracy, which
\nrespects diversity and freedom. Fortunately, Yogyakarta shows it
\nis not simply black and white.<\/p>\n
All kinds of expressions of this kind abound in Yogya:
\nstarting from the tolerant ones, those liking liberal dialog, up
\nto those wishing to \"go to the battle\". Laskar Jihad, which
\ndissolved itself recently, had its headquarters in Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
There are expressions by those often categorized as
\nfundamentalists, hard-liners, the religious and the ulemas,
\nIslamic school students, abangan (Javanese syncriticism), the
\nsufi, those who have faith but profess no religion, those
\nprofessing a religion but having no faith and even atheists. They
\nare all there. Many of them readily say who they are and what
\ntheir choices are. There is no more hiding about these.<\/p>\n
In the past few months, there have been boarding houses openly
\nputting up notices reading that these places are restricted only
\nto a particular religion. However, the city can also boast
\ninterreligious groups fighting for a life with a healthy
\nreligious pluralism.<\/p>\n
Dian Interfidei and The Inter-Religious Community Brotherhood
\nForum (FPUB) -- where leaders of different religions and faiths
\nget together -- and the Tikar Pandan Group (KTP) are examples of
\nthis good intention.<\/p>\n
KTP, for example, brings together young men from various
\nreligious traditions and faiths to fight for theological
\nequality, particularly through pluralist songs. In addition, they
\nalso try to establish a counter-cultural discourse on faith
\nthrough cross-religion and cross-faith reflection, discussions
\nand friendship.<\/p>\n
Friendship is built not on lip-service or just at the level of
\ndialog alone, but it is allowed to be fluid and flowing, like the
\nrhythm of the music they offer. The partition of the symbolism of
\nreligious tradition is no longer relevant while the legitimacy of
\nreligious hierarchy crumbles.<\/p>\n
A discourse on pluralist and tolerant faiths and religions
\nreplaces religious dogmatism and doctrines. The Holy Book has
\nbegun to be reinterpreted. Legitimacy through religious figures
\nor elites have been questioned. It is no longer taboo to come up
\nwith criticisms and questions about each religion as such
\ncriticisms, for example, are not intended to disadvantage or
\ncorner other parties but to remove prejudices that have been
\nformed.<\/p>\n
If you are in Yogyakarta and walk along Gejayan, in Gang
\nKuwera, you will find a comfortable house built by the late YB
\nMangunwijaya, who, during his lifetime, initiated pluralist
\nreligious education.<\/p>\n
Over here, on Wednesday nights, you will be carried away by
\nthe sound of religious songs. They are devoid of uniformity but
\nare rather self-enriching. They never wish to hold dominance over
\nthe others, but they are side by side and equal. If you like
\ndiscussion, come here on Saturday afternoon and experience the
\nfriendship offered here.<\/p>\n
Finally, Yogyakarta remains in its image a city of students.
\nIt is a city of intellectuals, both secular and theological. You
\nhave IAIN, UII and Muhammadiyah, Catholic University of Sanata
\nDharma and the Duta Wacana Christian University (UKDW) -- all
\nwith their schools of theology\/religion.<\/p>\n
Even at UGM there is a post-graduate program for interreligion
\nstudies. If you wish to experience religiosity mixed with
\nintellectuality and culture, Yogyakarta is the right place to
\nvisit.<\/p>\n
The writer is a post-graduate student at the Sanata Dharma
\nUniversity, Yogyakarta.<\/p>",
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