A Month of Conferences

Two Conferences, Two Concepts

In the last two weeks, I have spoken to the Peace Corps, have given a paper at a conference on human rights in the Law School of the University of Jember, have gone to Jakarta for a Fulbright conference, and have given a presentation on character-building at an education conference here at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang.  Two of these conferences, one on human rights from the Christian and Muslim Perspectives, responded to the actual problems of violations of human rights between majority-minority religions in Indonesia, and the other was a Fulbright conference where all the 200 or so Indonesians granted a scholarship to study somewhere in America were invited. 

I feel strung between two very different Indonesias, the one in trouble from radical forces within Islam, and the other wonderfully hopeful.  One speaker at the Fulbright conference was one of forty people selected by Sukarno, the first president of the independent republic of Indonesia, to study in the United States.  This first group of Indonesians from an independent republic came back and started programs that shaped the whole future of education in this country, even adopting the American system of education (though they have a long way to go to meet American standards, sorry, Indonesia).  He said, wisely, that “this is the era of the battle of concepts, of knowledge,” and nothing could be more true of Indonesia right now, as it teeters on the brink of further radicalism fostered by certain Islamist groups even recruiting in the universities, and most recently at the university where I am teaching, taking students away to radicalize them and make them “ministers” in the new Islamic country of Indonesia.  The hope for an Islamic state under Shari’a law is still very much alive among some small but influential groups.  This same ambassador has been around a long time, and so he remembered taking Gus Dur (the familiar name of the much loved but impeached president of Indonesia, Abdurahman Wahid) to America, where they met with President Clinton.  Clinton said in an aside to Gus Dur, “A successful Indonesia will help to characterize the twenty-first century.  If Indonesia can show that Islam and democracy are compatible, we will have a successful century.”

That hope was actually the substance of the conference I participated in at the University of Jember in East Java. These speakers (and I) were really very serious about seeing the enforcement of Indonesia’s constitution guaranteeing freedom of religion.  Having me on the panel representing (ha!) the Christian perspective on human rights made a strong statement of openness to a more pluralist ideal in Indonesia.  Yet, there were hints that this too was an ideal that still exists on the horizon of people’s consciousness.  A kind of apologetics for the dominance of Islamic mosques and the difficulty of getting permits to have churches built was a sub-text of one speaker’s presentation, no matter how he tried to make it sound open and fair.  He pointed out the one instance of difficulty in mosque-building in a generally Christian area of West Timur without mentioning the numerous instances of denial of permission for building churches all over Java, not to mention . the 240  church burnings and attacks on churches in the last six years.   I hurriedly cut out some of the more stringent comments I had in my paper about the Muslim majority’s fear of Christianization being the reason for most of the denials. 

But I really felt the audience’s sympathy in the question and answer period.  One participant described her “sadness” for her country at hearing what I had to say; and much concern was expressed over the ongoing conflicts between religions.  I guess I am always on the side of the underdogs, since I systematically took the side of Muslims when I was in Bosnia-Herzegovina, seeing their persecution and outright genocide at the hands of so-called “Christians” like the Serbs and Croats.  Here, my sympathies go to the Christians, many of whom just want to co-exist here without bothering the majority.  It is such a complex question!  Unfortunately, I am feeling more difficulty accepting the predominance of one religion, especially when it invades the air space over loudspeakers at four in the morning.  But this Fulbright conference gives me much hope for the future, and even inspires me, seeing these young scholars and students willing to venture forth to our country to learn and bring back knowledge that will surely bring Indonesia closer to its democratic ideals.