Bali enjoys peaceful, harmonious religious life

Bali enjoys peaceful, harmonious religious life

Rita A. Widiadana and I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

As parts of Indonesia remain locked in bitter ethnic and
religious conflict, the Hindu-dominated island of Bali witnesses
religious harmony among followers of different faiths.

During Idul Fitri, for instance, thousands of Muslim residents
flocked to several places in Puputan park, Lumintang soccer
field, Dalung in Denpasar to pray.

Although only a few thousand Muslims celebrated Idul Fitri, it
did not loose its festive atmosphere with hundreds of youngsters
parading along Denpasar's main streets to perform Bedug Lebaran
(beating drums while praising God's greatness) on Takbiran (the
Eve of Idul Fitri).

Joyful atmospheres were also seen in some Islam villages on
the island, like Kampung Bugis and Kepaon in Denpasar, Pegayaman
village in Buleleng (North Bali) and Loloan village in Jembrana
(West Bali).

Ali Mumin, a Madurese who has been living in Bali for 10
years, said Idul Fitri celebrations on the island were still less
joyous than in his hometown.

"But of course, we can't expect to celebrate Idul Fitri in the
way we used to do it in our hometown. Bali is a Hindu island. But
still we thank God that we don't live in Maluku or Poso where
Muslims and Christians are battling."

A week after Muslims observed Idul Fitri, it's Christian and
Catholic communities turn to celebrate Christmas and the New
Year.

Father S. Subaga from the St. Yoseph Catholic Church in
Denpasar said that so far Bali had been a fertile ground for
religious tolerance although in other parts of the country,
churches, especially during Christmas services, had been targeted
by those who aimed to destroy religious harmony.

He has strong beliefs that close relations among different
religions in Bali would prevent religious conflicts on the
island.

"(There are) only a very small number of people in the country
who want to politicize religion for their own purposes," he said,
adding that the world would be watching if any ethnic or
religious conflict struck Bali.

Prominent Hindu scholar Ketut Wiana explained that harmonious
relations between religions in Bali might come from the fact that
Hindu people believed in treating others better.

"As a Hindu, we believe in the teaching of Atiti Yadnya which
requires us to treat people, regardless of faith, in a better way
than we treat ourselves," Wiana said.

Since its beginnings, the Hindu religion in Bali has been
closely related to Buddhism. The Hindu-Balinese religion was
derived from the Majapahit kingdom whose kings and residents
adopted Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism. In the present day, many
Balinese make no distinction between the Hinduism that they
practice and Buddhism.

Wiana added that Hindu Bali is not an expansive or missionary
religion in nature. "We have never intended to spread our
religion to followers of other faiths and therefore, religious
and cultural conflicts rarely take place here," Wiana said.

Historically, many kings and royal families in Bali were known
for their openness and tolerance.

"There were a number of noble families in Bali who provided
lands and helped build mosques and other places of worship for
Muslim communities," Wiana said.

In Buleleng regency, North Bali, for instance, King Ki Gusti
Anglurah Panji Sakti gave the Muslim community a plot of land
called Pagayaman village and even initiated the construction of a
grand mosque in Kajanan village in Singaraja.

In Karang Asem, East Bali, the nobility there provided
financial assistance to Muslims wanting to perform the Haj
pilgrimage to Mecca.

Apart from the Balinese Hindus, Muslims and Christians, a
sizable Chinese population practicing Confucianism or Khonghucu
can also be found in Bali. The influence of Balinese Chinese to
the island's culture is far greater than most people realize. A
number of Chinese temples or klenteng can be found scattered
around the island. The Chinese temples are found, for example, in
Blabatuh near Gianyar, in Denpasar, Kuta, Singaraja, Tabanan and
Tanjung Benoa.