Religious supremacy and our silence

IT was inspiring to see thousands of people staging vigils and peaceful rallies in Charlottesville in the United States to pay tribute to those killed during the violence instigated by white supremacists on Aug 12.

They denounced the act of white supremacy, together affirming that bigotry and racism are against American values.

By contrast, in a country dubbed the world’s third-largest democracy, religious supremacism, bigotry and persecution are left almost unchallenged.

The spirit of collectively condemning religious supremacism does not exist in Indonesia, a nation claiming to be harmonious amid ethnic and cultural diversity.

In fact, most Indonesians stay silent, if not fearful, of ultra-conservative groups aiming to enforce their beliefs on others.

Putra Mario Alfian, a 15-year-old boy from Tangerang, Banten, was abused by a number of people in May after posting a Facebook status and image deemed offensive to Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab. After being forced to make a written apology to the leader, he and his family were eventually forced out of their house by the landlord.

The list of religious superiority actions continues, with houses of worship being vandalised and burned, as in Tanjung Balai, north Sumatra, where a mob burned down pagodas and monasteries last year.

In October 2015, two churches in Acheh, deemed illegal by locals, were set alight. There is also continuous persecution of Syiahs and followers of the Ahmadiyah minority.

Amid all this, most Indonesians have been silent.

Condemnation came from the Anshor Youth Movement and rights activists. However, the fact remains that 59 recorded cases of persecution from January to May this year alone, according to the South East Asia Freedom of Expression Network, have not ignited the public to stand up together to defend basic values of our democracy: Diversity and tolerance.

We seem to succumb to extremism and religious supremacy, noisy only on social media. Sadly, extremists are even used for political gains by opportunist politicians, as seen in the Jakarta gubernatorial election.

As stated by National Police chief Gen Tito Karnavian last year in the wake of rallies against then-Jakarta governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, in taking firm action against extreme intolerant groups, police need both constitutional legitimacy and public legitimacy.

The scholar Testriono has argued that police need strong support in acting against such groups, because first, they worry they would appear to be defying Islam. Second, firm action against religious leaders and their followers will create political instability and hinder the police’s duty in maintaining stability.

Together, we must loudly give the public legitimacy the police needs, for our own sake.

According to a study by the Wahid Foundation, 11 million people are willing to conduct radical and violent acts in the name of religion.

In a nation of more than 250 million people, 11.5 million extremists and others prone to violence are a small portion of the population.

Yet the majority of tolerant Indonesians tend to remain silent.

They remain powerless and voiceless towards bigotry and intolerance. If we are the majority, why should we feel powerless against the bigoted, noisy minority?

Some actions can be taken to fight religious supremacy. The government must single out any group aiming at undermining our sense of unity in diversity.

Firm legal action must be brought to bear on those committing persecution, intimidation or violence against minority groups in the name of religion.

Denunciation and concrete action are also needed from major religious institutions like the Indonesian Ulema Council, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, if we want our very basic principle of “Unity in Diversity” to prevail.

The use of radicalism or intimidation and violence based on extreme and intolerant beliefs for political gains must be stopped.

As for the public, we need to speak out more often and louder and shake up the current atmosphere allowing vast public space for extremists.

Strong denunciation through peaceful rallies, public discussions, statements by opinion leaders, religious sermons and online-offline campaigns on religious radicalism and bigotry are critical.

The media also needs to consistently make it clear that religious supremacy has no place in this country.

We cannot afford to stay silent. As American Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel put it, silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. — The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network