Let's share a happy Idul Fitri

The merriness of religious celebrations makes them contagious among the pious and not-so-pious -- and so should it be with the joy that welcomes the post-fasting holiday, Idul Fitri.

Observed by Muslims across the world, it is a day of thanksgiving that one is again given the chance to be a better person. Although, having tried one's best not to be led by emotion or desire for a whole month, that improvement may only be slight. Believers cherish the divine promise that on that day, their slate is washed clean, their sins are forgiven and they may begin anew with optimism and good faith.

Should we put it down to human nature that many of us ignore the basic message behind the rites and traditions of the celebration -- donning one's best clothes, praying together and asking one another for forgiveness?

We're told that "fresh" -- often meaning new -- clothes, for instance, symbolize a soul that has been cleansed, free of any dark thoughts that he or she might have harbored against another. On Idul Fitri then, this would mean, in the words of one scholar, a person more open to solidarity with his fellow humans, Muslims and non-Muslims.

Making this country a nicer place to live for all would indeed require that sort of solidarity. But a short news item with the blaring title Intolerance is still high in this daily on Friday, reporting on findings about religious perceptions, should serve as a slap in the face of Indonesian Muslims, particularly ahead of the holy day, when most of the national population is supposed to be cleansed of prejudice.

The survey sampled just 1,200 respondents across the 32 provinces. But it was a bitter pill to swallow anyway for Muslims busy reminding the world, in the wake of the global war on terror, that most of their ilk condemn violence, especially that conducted in the name of their faith. Yes, the researchers confirmed, most respondents did not approve of violent ways.

However -- "Forty-nine percent of respondents staunchly oppose the building of a church in a predominantly Muslim neighborhood" -- and 40.8 percent of Muslim respondents "were wary about Christians conducting services in a majority Muslim neighborhood."

One could speculate about the agenda of those involved in the survey, such as the controversial Liberal Islam Network. But consider the signs and scenes in our neighborhoods -- the cleric booming through his beloved loudspeaker, warning of Christians' eagerness to convert Muslims, right next to his Christian neighbors; or the Catholic who opted to move to her sisters' house because her neighbors were convinced that she was going to build a church. Not to mention that obstinate wall in Cileduk, South Jakarta, blocking off students' access to their Catholic school, because neighbors were annoyed with continued worship practices there.

Surely having God-fearing neighbors of any faith is a good thing in this often frightening metropolis?

Our inability to live with differences can be attributed to the manipulative designs of colonial rule, of the past New Order regime under former president Soeharto, apart from zealots of all manner of faiths in the nation's history. Much must be done together to address this legacy. But one teaching of Islam is also individual responsibility and hence the invalidity of forever blaming something, or someone else for any shortcoming.

We wish readers a joyous Idul Fitri, and hope that the gaiety of this year's festivities can somehow increase the urgently needed sense of solidarity among us.