IAIN to cooperate with Chinese-Indonesians

Noted Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid (left) speaks at a ceremony at the State Institute of Islamic Teaching (IAIN) in Ciputat, South Jakarta. Representatives of the institute, including rector Azyumardi Azra (third left), signed on Thursday a memorandum of understanding on collaborative work with Chinese- Indonesian Association (INTI) chairman Edy Lembong (fourth left).

The memorandum centered on increasing a better understanding of the Chinese community in Indonesia.

At the ceremony, Nurcholish stressed that efforts to bring about ethnic equality in Indonesia needed to be strengthened.

Being a Muslim scholar, Nurcholish stated that people who followed the Islamic faith should shed all ill feelings toward the Chinese, and reconciliatory efforts between Muslims and the Chinese community should be encouraged.

"One must remember that some of the founding fathers of Islam here were Chinese, and Islam was a faith followed in China even before it came to Indonesia," Nurcholish told the audience.

During colonial days, the activities of ethnic Chinese were limited to trade. During former dictator Soeharto's 32 years of leadership, a large number of rulings were issued controlling the roles and movement of ethnic Chinese.

After the fall of Soeharto, and especially during former president Abdurrahman Wahid's short spell in office, several regulations were revoked.

Even as President Megawati Soekarnoputri declared in February the Chinese New Year a public holiday, experts and activists here demanded that her administration revoke over 60 rulings that discriminate against Indonesians of Chinese descent.

The government, however, has been dragging its feet in reviewing discriminatory rulings, saying there were many other important issues to attend to.

Edy Lembong said on Thursday that law enforcement had also been weak, considering that so far none of those instigating violence against Chinese-Indonesians had been brought to justice, which inferred that it was acceptable to attack the homes of Indonesians of Chinese descent. -- JP