Spirit of Ramadhan, Christmas ideal to bolster harmony
Spirit of Ramadhan, Christmas ideal to bolster harmony
By Andy Jauhari
JAKARTA (Antara): This year Muslims in Indonesia will start fasting on Dec. 20. It is also in this fasting month (Ramadhan) that Christians will celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25.
The two different religious events have surely an important and strategic value at this time that the nation is being strangled by various crises.
The Ketapang tragedy in Jakarta marked by the torching and vandalizing of churches, then the Kupang tragedy in East Nusa Tenggara with the retaliatory burning of mosques and other buildings, are clearly black pages in the nation's history.
The two highly deplorable cases of violence have resulted in the disruption of harmonious relations among religions, especially those between Muslims and Christians.
With these two cases the opinion that Indonesia is a country with high religious tolerance is now put into question. Pessimists say that the harmonious coexistence among religious believers is a mere "concept" which has yet to be put into practice.
Now people nervously hope that similar tragedies will not occur again in the future.
Amid the spirit of reform, commitment should be made in religious circles to really putting an end to any conflict.
Disproving claims
Minister of Religious Affairs Malik Fadjar stated in a meeting with Commission VII of the House of Representatives on religious affairs on Dec. 9 that conflicts related to ethnicity, religion, race and intergroup interests had stained the image of the Indonesian nation, which loves to claim to be religious.
"We need to question why the clashes and brutalities have happened in our country known as it is for its religious people with refined culture," he said.
He noted that the Ketapang and Kupang incidents were signs that the harmonious religious coexistence in Indonesia was "in a critical state."
He said also that the worrisome condition was increasingly tangible because here and there tensions and clashes emerge, causing physical damage and material losses.
He admitted that the cases of violence undermined the credibility of government officials and religious leaders' claim that there was no problem with inter-religious relations at any level.
"Various acts of violence and brutality have raised serious questions about religious education and government efforts to promote religion," he said.
"We need to ask ourselves what's wrong or if there is any cause that gives rise to mob brutality."
Appeal
To cool the atmosphere and reconcile the spirit of Ramadhan and Christmas, a number of religious organizations have appealed for peace. The Communion of Indonesian Churches (PGI), for example, appealed to all Christians in Indonesia to respect Ramadhan.
In a statement from its chairman the Rev. Sularso Sopater and deputy secretary general the Rev. Weinata Sairin, PGI has also asked Christians to celebrate Christmas modestly so as not to invoke social envy.
"It would be improper to hold an extravagant party while many people in the community are struggling to make ends meet," the statement said.
In the same vein, the central board of Muhammadiyah has launched an appeal to all sides, particularly community leaders, mass organizations and political party leaders and state officials to respect the holy month of Ramadhan.
"Everyone is required to show restraint and to cool down the political situation by refraining from doing anything that may offend others. People should keep their heads," says chairman of the Muhammadiyah central board A. Syafi'i Ma'arif.
Meanwhile, the community in North Sulawesi has taken practical steps in building an atmosphere of harmony among religious groups. Leaders of religious groups, i.e. Protestant, Catholic, Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist, have conducted joint prayers for the nation's safety.
The religious believers gathered in the auditorium of the North Sulawesi gubernatorial office, absorbed in joint prayers according to their respective faiths, implored God to lead the Indonesian nation out of the current crisis soon.
In the present condition it becomes increasingly clear that harmony in religious life needs to be continuously enhanced. The spirits of Ramadhan and Christmas are expected to strengthen religious coexistence.