Maintaining Tolerance and Nurturing Diversity Through Community Collaboration

Jakarta Archbishop Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo has called on the public to reflect on a world still marred by war, arms races, and global power struggles. He explained that the greatest threat to humanity stems not only from technological sophistication or weaponry, but from the loss of the moral dimension in their use. To illustrate this, he recounted a symbolic tale of four brothers who used their knowledge to bring a tiger to life. Rather than providing benefit, the ability ended in disaster when the tiger devoured them. The story, according to Cardinal Suharyo, serves as a reminder that knowledge without wisdom can turn back to destroy humanity. “The world still needs the voice of conscience,” he said at the Bonum Commune Forum x Harmony in Diversity Pre-Event, titled ‘Community Action: Grassroots Movements as Architects of Peace’. He therefore assessed that small communities working continuously within society play a vital role as guardians of the public conscience. Amidst enormous global challenges, grassroots movements may appear simple, yet they form the very foundation that sustains hope for peace. Separately, Andar Nubowo, Executive Director of the Maarif Institute, stated that diversity is a national asset that must be continuously nurtured through spaces of encounter and cross-community collaboration. He noted that amidst various global challenges and accelerating social change, building social cohesion is a shared responsibility of all elements of society. He added that digital media must also be utilised as a space to disseminate messages of peace and broaden the narrative on the importance of coexistence in diversity. “We, as people of faith, must use social media to spread goodness,” he said. He added that collaboration between civil society organisations, interfaith communities, educational institutions, and the younger generation is becoming increasingly important to strengthen a culture of mutual respect within society. Through such joint efforts, diversity is not only viewed as a differing identity, but as social capital to build a more harmonious life. Meanwhile, Sayidatul Insiyah, a Legal and Constitutional Researcher at the SETARA Institute, reminded that the challenge of building tolerance remains visible in the practice of national life. Based on SETARA Institute’s monitoring and research, violations of freedom of religion and belief, discrimination against minority groups, and obstacles to establishing houses of worship are still found in various regions.