Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,

Distinguished judges,

Honoured audience,

And everyone here today

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

In the name of Allah — the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful. All praise is due to
Allah, the Lord of the world and the creator of everything in the universe. He also has been
giving us blessings and mercies so that we can attend this event without any obstacles at all.
Sholawat and salam be upon to our Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬, who has brought us from the
darkness of the age of ignorance to the light of the Islamic era.

Hereby I give thanks so much to the MC who has given me a chance to speak in front
of the audience. My name is Shafira Nanindya, I’m standing here as the representative of MA
Soebono Mantofani to deliver my speech about Inter-religious Tolerance for the Unity of the
Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.

What is religious tolerance? In my opinion, religious tolerance is an attitude of respect

and appreciation between inter-religious communities even though their beliefs are different
from your own. It is the belief that all religions are equally valid in their own culture of origin.

Indonesia is a country with pluralistic society consisting of various ethnicities,

religions, and races. It is common knowledge that social life in the midst of Indonesia's
diversity does not always run smoothly. There are always conflicts that arise because of
sentiments between groups. The utopia of peace in the midst of the diversity that Pancasila
dreams of seems to be far from being achieved if you look at the conditions of intolerance
among religious believers in Indonesia. Religious intolerance is a condition where a person or
group of people (whether a religious group or a non-religious group) refuses or denies to
acknowledge and tolerate practices, adherents, or beliefs on religious grounds. Religious
intolerance is discrimination in the name of religion which will cause many dangers and
negative impacts. Unfortunately, until now there are still cases of discrimination against
religion that occur in Indonesia. Even in 2022, the faction of PDIP has reported 10 alleged
cases of intolerance (both in the name of religion and Pancasila) that occurred in schools in the
Special Capital Region of Jakarta area.
Ladies and Gentlemen,

The attitude of religious intolerance that occurs today certainly does not appear by
itself. There must be several internal and external drives. Internal factors such as religious
exclusivism and the lack of understanding of religious values. External factors such as the
politicization of religion and state policies that tend to be discriminatory. However, these
factors should not be a reason for someone to underestimate the importance of religious
tolerance and then behave intolerantly or become a passive person towards cases of religious
discrimination that occur in this country. Our country, has stated in the first principle of the
Pancasila which reads: “Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa.” This precept emphasizes on freedom of
religion, namely the freedom to adhere to and practice worship according to one's religion and
belief. Freedom of religion has also been enshrined in many articles, one of which is in Article
29 of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, it states that the state guarantees all
persons the freedom of worship, each according to their own religion or belief. However, in its
implementation, contradictory facts are found in the field.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We as Muslims who are the majority must be able to start a movement towards
achieving the implementation of Pancasila values which are also in accordance with our
religious values which uphold peace and oppose hostility, as what our Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬,
has always taught us. Rasulullah ‫ ﷺ‬said in a hadith narrated by Bukhari which was conveyed
by Ibn Abbas that the religion he loved the most was al-Hanafiyyah as-Sam'hah which means
the straight and tolerant. Also, in 6th verse in the 109th chapter of the Qur’an Surah Al-Kafirun
which reads:

َ ‫لَ ُكم دِينُ ُكم َول‬

‫ِي دِي ِن‬

“For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.”

That's Islam. True Islam is Islam that always offers dialogue and tolerance in the form
of mutual respect, not compulsion, because we can't and shouldn’t force a belief on others.
Islam realizes that the diversity of human beings is the will of Allah SWT. In Islam, tolerance
applies to everyone, be it fellow Muslims or non-Muslims.
Ladies and gentlemen, I will sum up my points.

First. Indonesia as a country with pluralistic society has diverse aspirations and cultures,
but we all have an equal position, there is no difference between one community group and
another in religious tolerance.

Secondly. Tolerance is as simple as do what we believe in, and being able to accept
when others don't do what we believe.

Third. As Muslims, we are the one who must start to apply the act of inter-religious
tolerance that is contained in the values of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution, because these
values are in accordance with the values taught by the Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬. Because by
implementing inter-religious tolerance in social life, a peaceful and harmonious society can be
achieved so that unity is finally reached in the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.

That is all what I can convey in this time. Thank you very much for your attention. May
the Almighty God bestow on us His endless blessings.

Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh