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.