The cult of intolerance

In recent days Muslims have seen the end of the fasting month rapidly approaching. Clearly this has created a deep sense of happiness and rejoicing among believers who have endured the month of Ramadhan successfully.

Devout people can evaluate for themselves how much they have refrained from eating, drinking and having sex during the hours from dawn to sunset, or have attended evening prayer services to glorify the name of Allah. At the same time, they will know much how they have tried to subdue their inner storms, control their emotions and remain calm in all situations.

The majority of Indonesians have been trying to ingrain all the noble virtues, but many have been disillusioned as they have heard horrible stories of violence and atrocities in which dozens of people have been killed.

There have been bloodbaths involving troops, armed rebels and innocent people in Aceh, a province renowned for the religious dedication and piety of its Muslim people. There have also been reports of the police waging a holy war against criminals trying to rob homebound Idul Fitri holiday travelers in many parts of Java.

Over and above these disturbing stories several districts of Jakarta, where neither armed rebellions nor separatist movements are to be found, have been made brutal battlefields as local residents have waged unholy war against each other for trivial reasons.

The traditional enmity among people of old neighborhoods has been rekindled in Ramadhan by the people wielding the banner of vengeance. There have also been riots taking place right after the Muslim predawn meal that were provoked by a war of firecrackers.

In Karawang, 72 km east of Jakarta, a bloody riot and looting took place following rumors of police officers beating a local.

It is hard to find another such reference in history where Muslims have desecrated their own holy month by trying to kill each other. It is true that the people now easily lose control of themselves on account of their severe economic burdens, but do they not have a little place in their hearts which values self- restraint within the sphere of religious morality? And what has happened to their sense of social solidarity as taught by Ramadhan?

The problem, perhaps, is that in a hectic city like Jakarta, where every minute of life is consumed by the struggle for survival, some people have fallen short of spiritual aims because they have been too busy to apply religious values in their daily lives.

But the questions now are: If they do not respect their own holy month, what else can they respect? If they come out of their houses wielding daggers and hunting down their own neighbors, who do they love?

Perhaps religious scholars need to discuss how to boost the role of religion in reinforcing the people's morality and resilience in difficult times. Such an effort is urgent and crucial because the current economic turmoil may only become more ruinous.

The riots hitting the country lately -- whether socially, ethnically or religiously motivated -- have made some pundits believe that ours is a sick society whose members have become accustomed to hearing stories of murders, torture and cold- blooded onslaughts on innocent people. With the rapid deterioration in the application of the virtues of tolerance and social solidarity and the apparent glorification of violence and brutality this nation will lead itself nowhere but to self- destruction.