'It's now very dangerous to be different'

'It's now very dangerous to be different'

A mob attacked the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI) in
Parung, Bogor, two weeks ago, believing that Ahmadiyah teachings
ran counter to Islam. None of the attackers were apprehended, and
the government has banned the movement. The Jakarta Post asked
residents for their comments on this matter.

Ida, 40, is a homemaker. She lives with her husband and three
children in Cililitan, East Jakarta:

Two of my children are now in senior high school and
university. They have joined a religious discussion group in
their own school. I think they have a tendency to be liberal and
different from my own traditional Islamic beliefs.

I respect what they believe, and it's probably a part of a
process of maturing. However, the recent attack on Ahmadiyah by
radical groups makes me worry. I am afraid that my children will
be the next target as what they are learning is different from
mainstream teachings.

I am thinking about them everyday. Recently, I warned them to
stop going to the discussion group for a while to avoid any
threats.

It seems that it is now very dangerous to have different
beliefs in Indonesia.

Wulandari, 38, is a teacher at a junior high school in Bumi
Serpong Damai (BSD) city. She lives in Cisauk district, Serpong,
Tangerang regency:

In this plural society, tolerance is a key word for us so that
we can live in harmony.

Islam teaches its followers to be tolerant towards other
faiths. I think other religions also do the same. The Prophet
Muhammad used to say, "Your religion is your religion. My
religion is my religion."

Tolerance does not mean that we must agree with ideas or
faiths of other people. We, however, must respect their ideas or
faiths and we must not force other people to agree with our ideas
or faiths.

Problems often occur when people cannot accept that.

-- The Jakarta Post