On Thursday (29/1/2020) amateur footage of the supposed vandalization of a mosque due to a

purported permit issue in the Agape housing complex in the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia have
surfaced in social media.

Such defacement is unfortunately a common occurrence in the country. In 2017, an NPR report on the
2010 mobbing of the Taman Yasmin Indonesian Christian Church raised international traction on the
endangerment brought to religious tolerance, tone of the forces ensuring cohesion throughout the
years of its existence.

Religious freedom is guaranteed by the country’s constitution, and recently, the national Constitutional
Court formally recognized the rights of those who practice native religions outside of Islam, Catholicism,
Protestantism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.

Despite legal recognition, adherents to these faiths, in addition to those not practicing Islam, the
majority religion, are still living in fear as a result of hard-liner intimidation. The lack of de facto
recognition mars Indonesia’s reputation as a haven for religious diversity.

Indonesia itself was devised as a secular country; its founders feared that imposing Islam as a state
religion would place non-Muslims in disadvantage. As the island nation approaches its 80 th anniversary,
the pioneers’ greatest fear has reached a partial fulfillment.

Today, hate speech in all forms is commonly used to scare Muslim electors into voting for those deemed
to be devout believers, whilst threatening damnation to those who prefer either non-Muslim candidates
or those who seek to present a moderate image of Islam to the outside world.

Extremist clerics, such as the famed Abdul Somad render the gullible unnecessarily paranoidal towards
other faiths, especially Christianity, which is seen as a main threat towards the wellbeing of Islam in
Indonesia.

Somad demonizes the cross as containing jinns that cause apostasy and went even as far as forbidding
the use of ambulances with red crosses painted on them, as these would cause a Muslim to die as an
Infidel.

Attempting to elevate Islam as a guiding principle on a national level is an insult to the Hindu-Buddhist
heritage forming the philosophical bases of the country. The national motto, “unity in diversity” was first
coined by a 14th century Majapahit era poet.

It is ironic that thousands of visitors, including those from hardliner families would pack Jakarta’s
National Monument with awe when its design itself was derived from the Hinduist concepts of lingga
(masculinity) and yoni (femininity), symbolizing a vision of prosperity.

Indonesia will never, ever display shame towards its Hindu-Buddhist heritage, one that has gained the
Borobudur complex a UNESCO heritage status.

Nor will it allow intolerance to suppress tourism, the ancient temples and palaces of Bali will continue to
receive national promotion; in consideration of the tropical paradise’s significant contribution towards
the national tourism industry.
Indonesia’s status as a developing country is one that was achieved and maintained through the entry of
foreign investment and open tourism. Its long journey with religious tolerance will be one that may
eventually lead it towards a develop status, an increase most Indonesians are positively anticipating.

If it chooses to adopt hardline Islam as a state religion, this growth may be impeded by the nation-wide
replacement of existing laws with those heavily biased towards the Sharia. Isolation is eventually
inevitable. The making of such decision in a time where liberalization and moderation is causing
transformations in the Middle East would be proven to b destructive towards its journey on becoming a
developed economy by 2045.

A few times every year government officials and clerics from both the biggest six faiths and those newly
recognized would convene in large arenas to celebrate holidays such as Christmas, The Lunar New Year
Easter, Eid al Fitr, Vesak, and Deewali to present a tolerant image from a country currently boasting of
the world’s largest Muslim population.

Nevertheless, such gatherings are insufficient to prove that religious diversity remains a priority. Inter-
faith dialogues involving popular clerics are frequented by many Indonesians, whilst prayer services are
common as well, yet these are usually conducted as either communal events or personal
commemorations of birthdays, anniversaries, and deaths.

The examples mentioned above may present the impression of a tolerant society, yet peaceful
coexistence remains a tale from the past often told by older Indonesians to curious youngsters.

The idea that it possible to convert Indonesia to a religious state was one shunned by its founding
fathers under the guise of maintaining national stability and should remained shunned for the sake of
development and maintaining national harmony, alongside the preservation of a national sense of
cohesiveness.