By: Ajeng Mufadillah)*
Minister of Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim Saifuddin said the interfaith tolerance that has been built in Indonesia deserves to be a model for youth with diverse religious backgrounds around the world.
In the opening of the 7th “Asian Youth Day” at Jogja Expo Center, Yogyakarta, Wednesday night, August 2, 2017, Lukman stated that Indonesia deserves to be a model for the world, especially Asia, through its youth to see how it should address diversity.
According to Lukman, the preservation of the Borobudur Temple as a place of worship of Buddhists and Prambanan temple as a place of worship of Hindus in the Muslim community of Indonesia that the majority of Muslims became evidence that inter-religious tolerance and culture is still highly respected in this country.
Similarly, the relationship of Catholics and Muslims in Indonesia, according to him, can be harmonious and can be maintained each other when one of them runs worship.
As quoted by Antara, Lukman said that this is not an imagination, but a fact that is real.
Menag said, diversity is a necessity that cannot be rejected by any community. Through diversity, people can complement each other and perfect each other, not mutually negate or negate human dignity and prestige.
He said because religion is present precisely so that plurality and diversity can we take positive value and usefulness.
Asian Youth Day with the theme “Joyful Asian Youth, Living the Gospel, in Multicultural Asia” is the event of the annual gathering of Catholic youths in Asia, this time followed by 22 countries.
Through the event, Lukman hopes that Catholic youth can imitate and preach in their respective countries about the pattern of tolerance that has been built in Indonesia.
Lukman Hakim Saifuddin said that hopefully with this series of events that young Catholics in Asia are going to get them to have strong convictions, they also want to dialogue and integrate with people who have different beliefs and cultures.
Indonesia is born of difference, and the difference is something beautiful, we should all be proud and loudly say, I am proud to be a pluralistic Indonesia. In accordance with the slogan of the Indonesian nation “Bhineka Tunggal Ika” which means Different but still one.
)* The author is CIDISS Contributor