Religious tolerance

As a non-Moslem visitor to, and an Australian expatriate in this country for many years, I have great affection for Indonesia and its people, warts and all. One of its greatest attributes is it's truly religious tolerance, which should be a model to the many other countries sadly wracked by religious conflicts. I try to convey this to western people at every opportunity, especially those that have never visited this wonderful country.

I was very gratified therefore to read president Clinton's remarks (The Jakarta Post, Nov. 16, 1994) at the conclusion of the Bogor meetings and his reason for visiting the Istiqlal Mosque. Especially his comment concerning Indonesia making a very graphic point of the harmonious co-existence of many religions despite the predominance of Islam in this country.

I sincerely hope that, not just the American people, but the whole world heed president Clinton's remarks, and that Indonesia justly gains universal recognition for its positive qualities which, in my opinion, far outweigh any negatives.

J. M. FOLEY

Merak, West Java