Jatikusuma defends pluralism
Jatikusuma defends pluralism
A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Seventy two-year-old Pangeran Jatikusuma's family is a fine
example of religious pluralism in practice. The leader of the
Sundanese Karuhun faith, Jatikusuma, has eight children all who
practice different religions peaceably.
"I have Muslim, Catholic and Protestant sons and daughters, as
well as one son who believes in the Karuhun," Jatikusuma said in
an interview with The Jakarta Post recently.
He said his sons and daughters, along with other residents in
his hometown of Cigugur, Kuningan, were all tolerant.
Jatikusuma's multifaith family is not unusual in Cigugur, a
village that lies at the foot of Mt. Ciremai.
Tolerance is not only practiced by Cigugur residents in their
daily lives, but also in death.
Public cemeteries in Indonesia are usually segregated based on
the religions of the deceased. This is not the case in Cigugur.
Muslim headstones and Christian crosses can be seen standing side
by side in the village cemetery.
This pluralism is also reflected in local customs and
festivals. At the end of this month, residents of Cigugur will
conduct an important annual harvest festival, Seren Taun, to
celebrate the changing of the Sundanese lunar calendar.
The unique one-week celebration sees villagers of all faiths
praying together and thanking God for the blessings of the past
year.
"Such a harvest celebration can be found in many places in
Indonesia, but the difference here is that people with different
religions pray together here. It has happened for years,"
Jatikusuma said.
The irony of this pluralism is that it was originally caused
by an act of intolerance. The Seren Taun festival was once banned
by the New Order regime because the Karuhun belief was perceived
as a deviation from orthodox Islam.
The Karuhun was founded by Jatikusuma's grandfather, Kiai
Madrais, also known as Pangeran Sadewa Alibasa Kusumawijaya, a
noble of the Cirebon Sultanate in the early 1900s.
At this time, Madrais established a pesantren (Islamic
boarding school) in Cigugur that blended Islamic teaching and
ancient Sundanese beliefs.
In the 1960s, the Karuhun was banned. After this, thousands of
residents in Cigugur converted to Islam, Catholicism and
Protestantism while some residents still continued to quietly
adhere to the Karuhun. They still live in peace.
There are several mosques, two Catholic churches and two
Protestant churches in Cigugur. There is also a large complex of
buildings constructed by Kiai Madrais as the center of the
Karuhun faith.
Residents help each other during the Idul Fitri and Christmas
holidays and in the Seren Taun.
The pluralism and peace of Cigugur has become a symbol of
harmony for people from other cultures. Last year, dozens of
young people from Asia-Pacific countries participated in an
inter-faith camp in the village.
Jatikusuma, meanwhile, is active in international interfaith
dialogs, especially in the International Conference on Religion
and Peace, which was once chaired by former president Abdurrahman
Wahid.
Along with Wahid and other religious leaders, Jatikusuma went
to meetings at the World Conference on Religion and Peace in
Egypt and Thailand a few years ago.
Although many people admire the pluralism of Cigugur, some
still misunderstand or misrepresent the Karuhun beliefs.
Last year, the director of Kafir (infidel) said it was based
on the story of Kiai Madrais. In the film, Kiai Madrais was
portrayed as a practitioner of black magic.
"That is far from the truth. Magic is very different from our
beliefs. Our followers suggested taking legal action against the
filmmaker, but we decided not to do it. Let people learn about us
(firsthand)," Jatikusuma said.
It is not just the public who misunderstands the Karuhun
belief -- the state still does not officially recognize the faith
and the government refuses to legalize marriages among Karuhun
believers. If Karuhun followers want to register their marriages,
they have to convert to one of the five state-recognized
religions -- Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Hinduism or
Buddhism.
The Civil Registry Office has refused to legalize the marriage
of Jatikusuma's son until he and his wife choose one of these
religions.
The couple has refused to make that choice. Their wedding
festivities were conducted at a big traditional Sundanese wedding
party with hundreds of visitors.
"People acknowledged the marriage. That was the most important
thing," Jatikusuma said.
"Our beliefs are based on the teachings of our ancestors from
many centuries past. But we can tolerate it if people
misunderstand us," Jatikusuma said.
He said the substance of Karuhun teachings were understanding,
togetherness, harmony and believing in God.
The Karuhun teaches that people are created equally although
they may come from different cultures or nations, or practice
different religions.
"People should learn how beautiful living in harmony is,"
Jatikusuma said.