Religious tolerance

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