Open-minded Indonesians..religious tolerance

When we talk about Indonesia from the religion point of view, we know that it is the largest Muslim nation in the world, and in recent times events of religious intolerance and extremism, like the burning of churches and violent protests have filled us with a negative view of the people there. My trip to Jogjakarta in April 2009 however has only given me memories of a friendly people of myriad religious beliefs co-existing side by side.

On arrival at the hotel, I did my usual check on things that are available in the room, and I was quite pleasantly surprised that in a drawer, laying side by side is a copy of the Bible AND the Quran, a very thoughtful gesture by the management for those who are in need of of the Book for solace. Switching on the TV, I had my second surprise. Not only were there hundreds of channels made available to the hotel guests, I even found a few channels broadcasting talks on Buddhism, and being Buddhists, my wife and I were touched.

The next day, we were met by our tour guide, a nice looking man called Josh Liem. I learned in the course of his stay with us that he is a Christian, but married to a Muslim, and his parents are practising Buddhists. He seemed so comfortable talking about it, and there seems genuinely no rancour and hostility among those in the family. He even took us to meet his father who was one of the members of a Buddhist temple in Jogja, who told us that during the religious festivities, Muslims take part in the celebrations and are also involved in its activities like the Lion Dance, etc.

The final surprise was when we were at the Borobudur Site, a famous Buddhist site dating from the 8th century. Special guides were provided for us at the site, and the person who took us around was a pretty lady, modestly clad in full Muslim attire with a tudung. She was very friendly and very knowledgeable about Buddhism. In fact, her knowledge of Buddhism, as we walked though the ruins of the temple and the hundreds of Buddha statues, put all of us in the group to shame! She told us that in spite of herself being a Muslim, she has no qualms studying up on Buddhism and other religions, as the knowledge can only make her a better person! What a breath of fresh air.

To me, these experiences have been certainly refreshing, and it shows that Indonesians, like all people by and large, are a very tolerant lot, and see nothing in people of different religions living side by side, accepting each other sincerely.

Open-minded Indonesians