The Power of Women in Peace-building

The Power of Women in Peace-building

Musdah Mulia

I have had the pleasure of witnessing many women and women’s groups involved at all stages of peace work, from prevention to resolution. When I define peace work, I mean it in a broad sense, not just the absence of war, but living honorably, dying in peace, having basic human needs met, and post conflict resolutions.

Among 39 active conflicts over the last 10 years, few women have actually been at the table of peace negotiations. Out of 585 peace treaties drafted over the last two decades, only 16 percent contain specific references to women. Furthermore, around the world 1 in 3 women are subject to “non peaceful” or violent situations, including sexual and physical abuses.

Since it is quite obvious that women are very affected by “non-peaceful” situations, and they are 50 percent of this world’s population, isn’t it quite obvious they are a critical voice in the building of peace?

Inequality in Leadership Roles

It is time for women to come out of the shadows at the podium of peace. It goes without saying, men tend to dominate the formal roles in the current peace-building process. Male peacekeepers, male peace negotiators, male politicians, and male formal leaders all take the spotlight.

Power is unequally distributed between men and women and the majority of women do not have a voice in any local or national decision making processes. Such inequalities cause formal peace-building activities and policies to suffer from insufficient understanding of the diverse communities in which they are representing.

Not including women in decisions making processes towards peace often means that female concerns are not addressed. Experiences and insights of both men and women during conflict and peace need to be represented in order to encapsulate all dimensions for holistic solutions.

The landscape of women’s participation has experienced significant change mostly in the area of awareness. All of us, men and women alike, have gender roles firmly embedded within us. The more we all try to pretend they do not exist, the less conscious we are of our own behaviors that promote inequality. Discussion of these issues openly is a first step to dealing with them and getting more women involved in the process of peace.

Getting Out Of Our Own Way

An effective message by female peacemakers overcomes conflict by refusing to kill the child of another mother.

Many current women’s movements and formal policies do not have established mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the progress of their work. Even at the international level, it is very upsetting to see how programs and policies lack in operational guidance, program implementation, data monitoring and evaluation, knowledge and resources. There is also a huge gap in knowledge for most organizations on how to harness technology resources such as social media that have the influence to mobilize millions all over the world in minutes.

The Women’s Leadership Ambition Gap

A bigger part of the problem is not just allowing women to come to the table, it is that women often themselves de-value their role as peace builders. So many women, despite their amazing achievements, feel like impostors and do not necessarily recognize the important roles they can play in both building peace and as leaders.

Women need to recognize that within themselves they have attributes, valuable insights, and experiences, that NO ONE else has. Women embody the maternal gifts as caregivers, focus on the family, and resolving violence without conflict. Women of faith, in particular, are well suited for participation in peace efforts. They transmit peace values over generations and are already promoting critical values to the world.

Women  as Actor of Reconciliation

We are fully aware that the very heterogeneous Indonesian society has very complicated potential of conflict. Women are the greatest community which experience and feel the impact of humanitarian disaster caused by up to now occurring conflict. Whereas women are not inciter or provoker of the conflict itself.

Conflicts have sacrificed many women's life, however, amidst incessant efforts of various parties to discuss and find solution to the conflicts, they barely pay attention to the voice and role of women. Women are not considered the right group to listen to, appreciate, and recognize in respect of opinion and role in settling conflicts.

Although women have done a lot in settling conflicts; helped injured victims, particularly in displaced person camps; and pioneered advocacy efforts for victims of violence in several regions, ironically they are never invited to negotiations. If there are few women participating, usually they are considered only as ornaments and accessories, not due to necessity to listen to women's aspiration.

Actually, women as majority in this nation have sufficiently strategic role in settling conflict process. Woman religious leaders have actively acted as mediators, negotiators, motivators, and facilitators, but very difficult to become decision-makers.

The superiority of women in reconciliation process, are among others because behind their nature as women, they have comforting characteristics such as charitable, compassionate, and easily yielding, which can be utilized as kind of approach to parties involved in conflict.

Another advantage of woman religious leaders is that they are usually highly charismatic thereby respected, besides having care and empathy. In other words, women have strategic position to dampen conflicts.

Reconciliation is a holistic and dynamic concept. To reconcile has some meanings: cause people to become friends again, especially after quarrelling; cause (two things) to agree when they seem to be opposed to each other; and cause oneself to accept something unpleasant.

The willingness to be reconciled, especially when calls for circumscribing the interests and advantages of the self, can be obtained only if there is a  commitment to a larger interest: the interest of the whole. Reconciliation issues itself out of the eagerness of the parts to abide in the whole so as to yield the harmony  and wholeness  vital to the well-being of the parts and the whole.

Reconciliation is covenant to settle conflict peacefully. Prior to reaching peace agreement, facts shall be revealed first to open door to negotiation and to manage negotiation process. In this process, all parties shall be convinced of joint commitment for the future.

Clarity of understanding is of the essence of spirituality, and we should not mistake reconciliation for something else. We must insist, for instance, that reconciliation is not mere compromise. The goal of reconciliation should be much more than the mere preservation and propagation of the status quo, which is all that the spirit of compromise is interested in.

To see this clearly for what it is, all we have to do is to rub it against the touchstone of justice. No spiritual strategy that sacrifices justice is valid or worthwhile. Even peace is system and inhuman untouchability, so all kind of gender inequality are glaring examples of social injustice which need to be eradicated.

The role of women as reconciler or peace negotiator should be developed. What is called woman as reconciler is placing advantage of woman based on her socialization, which places woman as caretaker of the need of other people, so woman has more experience in understanding other people's need, and when to place other people's need above her own need.

Women's experience in reconciliatory efforts shows how complicated their effort to be fully involved because of strong assumption that it is men that are responsible to settle conflicts and to control women. Because it is men that shall determine which issue is important and which is not.

Issue relating to self-respect of men, such as beating on a group of youths, is very easy in developing tension and panic, while women's important issues such as wife beating by husband, or issue of rape and sexual harassment are not worth perceiving as part of community's self-respect.

Likewise disclosure of data on victims of conflict, which hardly ever describes number of victims by sex. And there is practically no report on  number of women raped, harassed, or died due to torture. The weakness of this fact perpetuates assumption that conflict is indeed business of men only.

Therefore in reconciliatory efforts to solve conflict, it is very necessary to understand that as long as patriarchal society is still model of social relations, conflict will still be relevant to use. It means, every effort to settle conflict also becomes definite measure to eliminate patriarchal system.

To that end, there shall be willingness to bring down men's arrogance and to use women's method in settling conflicts and to figure it out how to make it alternative in conflict settlement.

Effort of woman religious leaders to dampen conflict in Ambon can be made example. They only carry out simple things, i.e. to prevent new conflict. They do not speak about reconciliation but carry out preventive measures directly. However, it is indeed their simple interpretation regarding concrete form of reconciliation and peace.

Finally, my recommendation is  woman religious leaders should be put in more fair position and involved fully in policy-making for reconciliation. Up to now, they are always in the foremost front in conflict victims handling, however, at the time of negotiation, they are forgotten. All parties should realize that their presence, particularly in peace negotiation process, will indeed facilitate conducive atmosphere for reconciliatory efforts.

What Would Big Change Look Like?

Big changes would happen if we first, could ensure that women play a key role in the design and implementation of peace building activities and give them a confidence to do so. Second, we need to support and strengthen the already established women’s organizations that are currently working in their peace building efforts. Finally, systems need to be established for enforcing and monitoring all efforts on a global scale. Women have such untapped potential to be effective participants, key-decision makers and beneficiaries of peace.

The Role of Media in Fostering Peace and Democracy

The Role of Media in Fostering Peace and Democracy 

Musdah Mulia

My experience in promoting democracy, particularly religious freedom and peaceful coexistence in Indonesia has brought me to the conclusion that the media play an important and strategic role in fostering democracy. There are at least four roles that must be optimized from both, which are:

First, to carry out concrete steps to create a culture of peace. The media should always convey news in a peaceful manner, and not provoke the public to become angry and hostile. Although the media holds on to the principle that bad news is good news, they should prioritize their moral responsibility and uphold ethical values in providing news, particularly in relation to religious conflicts.

Why the media is important? Because in many religious conflicts, the media tend to take an unfair stance towards the minority groups in their conveyance of the news. The Media, for example, join in giving stigmas to groups who are of a different characteristic than the majority thus labeling them as misguided groups and so on.

The media often bring up the matter of theological perceptions, and in a shallow and unfounded manner, more often than not, inaccurately. It is my opinion that the media should avoid providing news that may be easily misinterpreted and be biased which will in turn trigger controversies and conflicts.

The second role is to undertake concrete measures to change all the regulations and public policies that are discriminative towards the minority and marginal groups. Furthermore, public policies that guarantee equality and freedom for all groups in society should be promoted. Consequently, the media should encourage democratization efforts that guarantee protection, recognition and fulfillment human rights for all citizens without prejudice.

The third is to promote humanistic religious interpretations. Why is this important? Because religious interpretations that develops within society at present does not provide favorable conditions for democratic and human rights values and are not accommodative towards humanitarian values.

When we speak about religion, we will ultimately speak about interpretation of it. It is a fact that there is no solitary interpretation of religion. The problem is how to ensure that interpretation of religion that grows and develop in society are religious interpretations that are conducive for religious freedom and peaceful coexistence.

The fourth role, and this is the most important, is to change perceptions on religion. Religion is not only something that takes care of the after life. The media and intellectual groups should have the courage to convey that religion should have the capacity to respond to the contemporary problems faced by human beings and offer a solution towards the creation of a just and civilized welfare and humanity.  Also, the media and intellectual groups should undertake efforts towards the transformation of society, be active in the democratization and humanizing process with the aim to liberate human beings from the shackles of injustice in any form.

Education must be able to give birth to a pluralistic stance. Why is pluralism so important? Because pluralism can help create justice, progress and welfare. Pluralism can prevent dissent, conflicts and violence, and war. Pluralism can encourage the sensitivity to defend a person’s rights and enforce humanitarian values.

Dialogue trains all religious devotees to be able to compromise and reach a consensus in responding to all actual humanitarian and social problems in their respective areas, such as the problems of poverty, hunger, unemployment, lack of clean water, the high cost of education and health. Dialogue brings those devotees to an awareness and discovery of who are the real adversaries of religion. Apparently the enemy of every religion takes the form of discrimination and exploitation as well as violence, injustice, greed, corruption, ignorance and poverty.

Media must believe that religion is not a barrier to democracy, religious freedom and peaceful coexistence program. Media must be able to provide solutions for the various social problems of humanity.

Media must have the courage to voice religious teachings that are more rational and accommodative towards humanitarian values. That kind of religious teachings will be able to respond to all contemporary issues of modern society, such as religious freedom and peaceful coexistence.

Media must be at the forefront in Fostering Religious Tolerance. Media and Academia must be also at the forefront in campaigning for rational and progress religious interpretations that are able to liberate religious congregations from ignorance, poverty, and injustice. Those progress religious interpretations will be able to raise the welfare and the quality of religious community. Only through such a way can religions become a blessing for all human being.

My Experiences as Woman of Faith

My Experiences as Woman of Faith 

Musdah Mulia 

Actually, I am active in a number of organizations including in a number of women organizations. Even though I also pursued a career in government institutions (as a researcher and lecturer within the Ministry of Religious Affairs). This job does not prevent me from being active in various women organizations such as Fatayat NU and Muslimat NU (Islamic Women Organization) and non-government organizations (LSM), and also as an official with the Central Board of the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI), establishing the LKAJ (The Institute for Religion and Gender Studies), and together with a number of religious leaders establishing an interfaith institute called the ICRP (Indonesia Conference on Religion and Peace).

It is from the latter-mentioned institution, ICRP, that I and other women religious leaders have jointly identified ourselves as women of faith. And our role is directed more towards the efforts to develop awareness of morality and humane responsibility for all. We have built the awareness of morality on the basis of religious texts that have been reinterpreted and reformed, and also on fiqh traditions [traditions concerning Islamic jurisprudence made up of the rulings of Islamic jurists to direct the lives of Muslims and expounds the methodology by which Islamic law is derived from primary and secondary sources] whose context has been subjected to a review. Given this, it is proper to attach the title of ulema [Muslim scholars/ intellectuals], which has so far been monopolized by or reserved only for men.

 I am also very active in various training and advocacy activities on the themes of democracy, justice, human rights, and civil society that are administered at home and abroad. From this position, I am freer to present the voice of women in various issues and cases. In the Ministry of Religious Affairs, I voice the rights of women in state policies concerning marriages and a number of policies related to women.

At the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI), I fluently represent the voice of women in discussing contemporary issues. At LKAJ, I promote the rights of women through publication, training and a number of programs for the dissemination of the rights of women within religious communities.

 Meanwhile, at the ICRP, I move the potentials of religious circles to take care of human rights, in particular the rights of women, and invites female religious leaders to come to the fore as promoters of peace and reconciliation, and to accompany religious and belief communities who have been discriminated against by the state to demand their rights.

And, more recently, together with pro-democracy and civil society groups she has been actively involved in formulating the Draft Bill on Civil Registry; the Draft Bill on Anti Domestic Violence, the Revision of the Law on Health, the Law on Citizenship, the Law on Labor, the Draft Bill on Anti Trafficking, and so on, which are considered problematic for the effort to build a civil society. I do it all from my position as a [practicing] female Muslim, as a Muslimah reformist (mujaddidah), and as an ulema.

So, in this context, that which I have done is no longer within the framework of demanding one’s rights but more than that, I have taken a further step, by showing something that can be carried out by women with the rights that they have, which, according to me, have been inherently given by Islam.

In this regard, it is not seldom that what I have done invites controversy and puts an end to everything that is taboo in viewing the relationship between Islam and women, such as my ideas on the right of women to interpret Islamic teachings, the right of women to become an ulema, and the right of women to correct religious missions.

It is not few and far between that I express myself linguistically in a very firm and strict-to-the-point manner. And I am very convinced and confident that Islam guarantees women the equality and equity of rights no matter where they are and at what time. By advocating and promoting such rights, I present and position myself as a [female Muslim] reformist, as an ulema, and as an activist that enforce human rights, oppose violence, as well as a leader, as a partner in policy making, and also as a reconciler.

Most recently, this last role has become important and very significant, particularly in the midst of conflicts fraught with religious and ethnic nuances that wreck havoc in my country. Even in a number of conflicts among religious groups, among different sects and religious schools of thought in Islam, women are able to serve as mediators and even pioneers towards reconciliation. In my experience in the Maluku case where women actively took steps towards the crafting of post-conflict rehabilitation and reconciliation with typical women approaches that were far from publication.

Stop Perkawinan Anak !!!

Stop Perkawinan Anak !!!

Bertempat di Aula Fakultas Hukum UI, diselenggarakan Seminar dan Launching buku berjudul: Menikah Muda di Indonesia: Suara, Hukum dan Praktek. Buku ini merupakan hasil lokakarya pada tahun 2017 tentang penelitian perkawinan anak. Terdapat 12 bab yang menelisik praktik kehidupan nyata dewasa ini terkait perkawinan anak di Indonesia. Buku ini juga memberikan pemahaman baru tentang perkembangan keragaman perkawinan anak di Indonesia dan memaparkan lebih banyak strategi yang dibuat secara khusus untuk dapat memberi perlindungan yang terintegrasi dengan pemberdayaan. Ternyata isu perkawinan anak bukan hanya masalah hak asasi manusia seperti yang kita kenal sekarang, melainkan isu ini dan pencegahannya sudah ada dalam agenda pemerintah kolonial.

Buku ini terdiri dari tiga bagian, yang dipilah ke dalam tiga gugus: pengalaman pengantin anak, payung hukum yang bocor dan aktor/pelaku di balik praktik perkawinan anak. Dalam bagian pengantar, dibahas masalah definisi, prevalensi, penggunaan statistik, keragaman perkawinan anak, hubungan yang mendua antara sebab dan akibat, masalah-masalah yang lebih luas seputar sebelum dan sesudah perkawinan, ikhtisar lengkap tentang berbagai peraturan dan hukum terkait perkawinan anak, diakhiri dengan reformasi hukum dan program-program pemerintah terkini.

Perkawinan anak adalah setiap perkawinan formal atau persatuan informal di mana salah satu atau kedua pihak berusia di bawah 18 tahun. Umumnya, pihak perempuan yang selalu berusia di bawah 18 tahun dan menikah dengan laki-laki yang sudah berumur, bahkan tidak sedikit yang sudah berusia lanjut sehingga pantas menjadi kakeknya. 

Komite CEDAW PBB (1994) berpandangan bahwa usia minimum perkawinan haruslah 18 tahun baik untuk lelaki maupun perempuan, dengan mempertimbangkan dampak pengaruhnya pada pendidikan, kesehatan dan otonomi ekonomi anak-anak. Komite Hak-Hak Anak PBB (2003) mencapai kesimpulan yang sama, dan menyebutkan tambahan dampak negatif perkawinan anak pada kesehatan seksual dan kesehatan reproduksi.

Ada tiga temuan utama. Pertama, latar belakang mereka dikawinkan dipicu oleh adanya sistem yang saling mengunci antara ekonomi, budaya, dan agama. Kedua, anak perempuan yang sudah masuk ke dalam sebuah perkawinan harus menjalankan kompleksitas hidup dengan beberapa peran, yaitu sebagai perempuan dan menantu muda, namun juga sebagai istri anak dan tidak lama kemudian sebagai ibu dari anak yang dilahirkan. Terakhir, ada sebuah perjuangan panjang yang harus ditempuh anak perempuan untuk perlahan-lahan membangun kuasa atas tubuh dan hidup mereka. Perjuangan yang telah dilakukan selama berpuluh-puluh tahun menunjukkan betapa merugikan praktik perkawinan anak bagi kehidupan anak perempuan. Namun riwayat hidup tersebut juga menunjukkan bahwa mereka telah mengambil sendiri keputusan penting bagi hidup mereka guna membangun kuasa atas tubuh dan hidupnya. Mereka berjuang agar mandiri dan berdaya secara ekonomi, melanjutkan pendidikan secara informal dan mengasah potensi, menikmati hidup sesuai dengan cara yang mereka inginkan, bahkan jika hal itu sampai dalam bentuk menggugat cerai sang suami. Perempuan terbukti memiliki agensi yang bukan sekadar bertahan hidup melainkan juga mengembangkan potensi diri serta menjalani hidup dengan agensi penuh.

Temuan penting lainnya, menunjukkan bagaimana orangtua memengaruhi dan terlibat dalam keputusan anak-anak mereka untuk menikah. Sebaliknya, perkawinan anak berakibat pada orangtua juga, seperti beban keuangan, beban pengasuhan anak dan hilangnya prospek pendidikan untuk anak-anak mereka.

Selain itu, buku ini juga menelaah persepsi kaum muda itu sendiri tentang perkawinan anak, yang juga sangat memengaruhi pilihan yang dibuat anak seturut agensi mereka sendiri. Bahkan, terdapat tulisan menarik tentang masalah seputar kehamilan karena kekerasan dalam pacaran. Tidak banyak yang peduli bahwa sebagian anak-anak perempuan mengalami berbagai bentuk kekerasan dalam pacaran.

Selain itu, hukum adat dan hukum agama terkait masalah ini kadang-kadang bertentangan dan mengesampingkan hukum negara, yang bermuara pada kontestasi yang berkesinambungan tentang perkawinan anak. Tulisan lain dalam buku ini melukiskan pengaruh kuat hukum agama beserta teks sucinya terhadap pemahaman orang tentang perkawinan (anak). Jika ditelisik lebih jauh, dijumpai teks-teks suci hadis yang lebih humanis dan tidak mendukung adanya perkawinan anak. Persoalannya, apakah kita mau berubah ke arah yang lebih rasional?

Bagian terakhir buku ini menganalisis peran para kiai, yakni para lelaki pemimpin agama, baik dalam mendukung maupun menentang kebiasaan perkawinan anak, dan diandaikan bahwa beragam pandangan religiositas dalam agama Islam seyogianya dipertimbangkan untuk mencapai penerapan kebijakan secara efektif. 

Sumber-sumber internasional dan Indonesia menandaskan bahwa sebab utama perkawinan anak adalah ketimpangan gender, kurangnya pendidikan, kemiskinan, aneka norma dan keyakinan. Ketimpangan gender yang dibahas di sini sebagian besar terkait dengan tafsir budaya tentang maskulinitas dan feminitas, perkawinan, usia dan seksualitas. Selain penyebab tersebut, faktor lain juga turut bermain yaitu akses ke berbagai pelayanan seperti pelayanan kesehatan (termasuk kesehatan seksual dan kesehatan reproduksi), kurangnya pengetahuan tentang risiko kesehatan pada kehamilan dini dan bagaimana menangani kesehatan si ibu setelah melahirkan beserta bayinya. 

Faktor lain adalah konflik dan migrasi. Ada semakin banyak bukti menyangkut praktik perkawinan anak di wilayah pasca-konflik atau di tengah komunitas pengungsi di seluruh dunia. Perubahan yang terjadi ini juga sangat kasatmata di Indonesia sendiri. Industrialisasi perdesaan dan di bidang pertanian (misalnya perkebunan kelapa sawit) mengubah hubungan kerja antara lelaki dan perempuan. Para orangtua bermigrasi untuk mencari kerja di tempat-tempat lain, di kota, di sektor informal, di luar negeri, dan anak perempuan mereka akhirnya menikah muda.

Ada ambiguitas yang berkepanjangan antara sebab dan akibat perkawinan anak. Sebagai misal, kurangnya pendidikan dan kemiskinan, yang sering kali ditampilkan sebagai penyebab perkawinan anak, bisa jadi juga merupakan akibatnya. Anak-anak perempuan tidak dapat melanjutkan pendidikan mereka karena kurangnya akses, atau beban orangtua mereka terlalu berat untuk membiayai pendidikan semua anak mereka, atau karena norma menyangkut pendidikan yang layak untuk anak perempuan, sehingga mereka sering kali terpuruk ke dalam pernikahan muda.

Akibat negatif dari perkawinan anak: berkurangnya kesempatan pendidikan, bahaya kesehatan reproduksi, peningkatan risiko kematian para pengantin anak dan bayi-bayi mereka, kemiskinan antargenerasi, isolasi/keterasingan, trauma fisik dan psikologis, kekerasan dalam rumah tangga dan kekerasan seksual, serta perdagangan orang.

Perkawinan anak juga menghambat keberhasilan aneka agenda pemerintah yang berbeda, seperti kesehatan reproduksi, pendidikan dan kemiskinan. Program pemerintah yang terkait dengan perkawinan anak mencakup: Program Keluarga Berencana (KB) dan Generasi Berencana (Genre) oleh BKKBN (Badan Kependudukan dan Keluarga Berencana Nasional). Program Pelaksanaan 12 tahun wajib belajar. Program pengentasan kemiskinan melalui kredit mikro UKM (usaha kecil dan menengah) untuk keluarga miskin, dan Program Pengarusutamaan Gender (Inpres No. 9/2000).

Hal menggembirakan, beberapa prakarsa yang berhasil dilakukan di tingkat Pemda untuk mencegah maraknya perkawinan anak:

• Kabupaten Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta, memberlakukan Peraturan Daerah No. 36/2015 tentang Pencegahan Perkawinan Anak.

• Kabupaten Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta, memberlakukan Peraturan Daerah No. 9/2016 tentang Pencegahan Perkawinan Anak.

• Pada tahun 2016, Gubernur Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) menerbitkan Surat Edaran Gubernur (NTB) No. 150/1138/Kum yang menganjurkan usia layak nikah pada umur 21 tahun baik untuk perempuan maupun lelaki.

• Pada tahun 2018, Gubernur Bengkulu menetapkan Peraturan Gubernur No. 33/2018 tentang pencegahan perkawinan anak.

• Kabupaten Gunung Mas, Kalimantan Tengah sedang bersiap untuk memberlakukan instrumen hukum guna menghentikan perkawinan anak.

• KUA (Kantor Urusan Agama, kantor yang mencatat perkawinan untuk kaum Muslim) dapat membuat kebijakan lokal, seperti KUA di Kecamatan Tomoni Timur di Sulawesi Selatan yang menetapkan usia layak nikah 19 tahun untuk perempuan dan 21 tahun untuk lelaki (lihat Bab 4).

LIVING TOGETHER: A QUESTION FOR RELIGIONS

LIVING TOGETHER: A QUESTION FOR RELIGIONS 

Musdah Mulia

As a woman faith, I am greatly convinced that religion passed down by God is meant to give us better hope in life. That is why every religion always teaches values of righteousness as the basis for humans to live together in this world. I truly believe that all religions teach us universal humanistic values such as justice, honesty, peace, piety and compassion.

The aim of religion is to promote human dignity and the principles of human rights. The more religious a person or a community is, the more humane that person or community should be. Thus the more just and peaceful that individual or community becomes.

Religion forbids us to become the scum of society. Religion should prevent its followers from being carrying out acts of discrimination, exploitation and violence that cause conflicts, war, and other brutalities that bring suffering to human being. Religion should prevent its followers from carrying out acts of terrorism that devastate so many lives.

On the contrary, religion should drive its followers to adopt a critical and rational attitude, so that injustice is not permitted to prevail in society. Religion should make its followers care for and preserve the environment to prevent exploitation that causes global warming and threaten the existence of human being. Religion should cause its followers to always be dynamic, to adopt a positive-constructive attitude, to work hard for a prosperous and civilized society.

But the facts prove otherwise. The social reality around us gives us clear examples of violent and depraved behaviors, including violence in the name of religion. People kill each other in the name of religion, and some wars are even called holy wars.  Is there such a thing as a holy war? Of course not. Because, I believe that all wars bring tragedy to human life. All wars definitely cause devastation, and war always ends in bloodshed and material losses, both for the victors and the losers of the war.

The Principles of Living Together

So how do we use religion as a tool to ensure that we can live together in peace and harmony? In my opinion, there are at least three fundamental principles that must be fulfilled.

First, the principle of humanity. Frankly speaking as religious community we tend to take on the position of God, by acting arrogant and being judgmental. In all honesty, we tend to judge and find fault in others instead of devoting ourselves to each other and caring for each other. We always claim to be in the right and others are always wrong, misguided and infidels. As a result, religion-based wars and conflicts become the main stories in the media. Taking on the position as God in living together will be very perilous because we will always look at other people from a wrong perspective. We see people of other faiths as infidels and misguided. Consequently, we are taken over by the urge to execute them.

In living together, we must always maintain our position as human beings, not as God. Our duty is to contend for goodness, and leave judgment on whether our devotion is acceptable or not to God. So, our task as humans is only to try our utmost to do good as much as we are able to do. And then we leave everything to Him. We don’t know who among us will be saved, who among us will have our devotion accepted, only God knows that.

Second, the principle of one family. As religious community we must consider other people, of whatever faith, as our brothers and sisters, as part of one family. We must realize that we all come from the same origin, namely from God. Although we call Him by different names. All of us come from the One and because of it we are family. This affinity can become a force that has unprecedented meaning in building peace among different human beings. This kinship will give birth to love and affection among us, and in turn, eliminate hatred and hostility.

A sense of affinity will generate sincere respect and appreciation for others. Because of this feeling of unity, there is a sense of caring and a desire to help each other. This feeling of kinship and being of one family will distance us from behaviors of violence and crime. If we feel pain when we are hit, then we will not hit other people.

This feeling of affinity will eventually lead us to social solidarity. We don’t want to see other people in trouble or in pain. Ultimately, we will realize that, as brothers and sisters, we have a common enemy. The enemy of all religions is no other than injustice, oppression, greed, ignorance and poverty. Once we have this awareness, as people of faith we can work together to eradicate the common enemy.

 We can work together to rid the world of injustice, we can cooperate to eliminate oppression, greed, ignorance and poverty. Doesn’t cooperation and working hand in hand make our tasks much easier and less arduous?

Third, the principle of democracy. As religious community we should actively promote the principle of democracy. Democracy stems from respect and appreciation for other people. The essence of democracy is respect for the nature and dignity of human beings as noble beings. In a society that upholds democracy, all citizens are treated the same in the eyes of the law. The terms majority and minority don’t exist. All communities have the same basic rights, which is to live as human beings.

In a democratic nation, we must not be anarchic. Even if other people commit sins, we should not take the law into our own hands. Leave it to the law enforcers to punish them accordingly. In this context we should urge the state and the government to enforce the law fairly and take a neutral stance. There should be no public policies or legal decisions that are discriminative to any groups, especially to minority groups. The fact is that in a country, the government is often unable to be impartial and neutral, especially towards religious minority groups. This discriminative attitude can be very dangerous and may well become the starting point of numerous conflicts and humanitarian tragedies. In a nation with such a heterogeneous population in regards to religion and culture, such as Indonesia, the government should take a more prudent stance and apply the principle of human rights regarding religious freedom.

Religious leaders should actively create and promote religious interpretations that are democratic, that emphasize on the principles of tolerance and pluralism, and gender equity. My long experience in dealing with issues on women and religion brings me to the conclusion that religion and women has never been best friend, and they don’t complement each other. Religion has for far too long shown its masculine face rather than its feminine side.

In the name of religion, women are geared to become reproductive machines to increase the number of human beings. In the context of Indonesia, it is no secret that both Islam and Christianity are always in competition to increase the number of their followers. As a result, claims of Islamization and Christianization are always a hot topic in Indonesia and more often than not, this becomes the root of conflict and violence in society. In the name of religion, women are dominated so that they become the sweet child in the family, a wife who is obedient to her husband, and a mother who takes care of the family. In contrast, boys are not obligated to become the sweet child in the family, to be an obedient husband to his wife and a father who takes care of family matters. Doesn’t this reality show that discrimination and injustice exist? It is even in contradiction to the essence of religion.

I believe that the core aim of all religion and faith is for all human beings, both women and men, to be pious and useful, for them self, the family and the community in general. A number of studies have shown that there are many cases of domestic violence that stem from religious interpretations that are discriminative towards women. It is my sincere hope that religious leaders can transform religion’s masculine face so that women feel more comfortable and feel that their interest is accommodated within it.

Forth, the principle of pluralism

One of the major problems faced by religious community in this era of globalization is religion-based conflict and violence, both internally as well as between congregations of different religions. Certainly, in every conflict, women are the ones most vulnerable to become victims.

Why do conflicts happen? It is because people with religion no longer live in isolated blocks, but interacts with each other so it is very possible that frictions happen with the potential to cause conflict. The relationship between inter-religious groups is not always peaceful. Religion-based conflicts and violence frequently occur in a number of areas, including in Asian countries. Religion-based conflict and violence usually occur as a result of growing politics of identity. In other words, it is the mobilization of religious identity for the political interest of certain parties.  Ironically, religious provocation is often carried out by those who claim to speak in the name of religion.

In order to achieve peace and harmony in living together, all parties in society should adopt a tolerant and pluralistic attitude. Tolerance is the ability to constrain oneself and one’s emotions in order to minimize and eliminate potentials of conflict. Meanwhile, pluralism is much more than tolerance.

Pluralism is the willingness to recognize differences and accept diversity as a natural force in life to subsequently be committed to build solidarity and cooperation for the sake of peace and harmony. Pluralism must be built upon a principle of love, caring, equality and the recognition of human dignity. Pluralism urges for the fulfillment of human rights, including women rights.

Pluralism is a process of active seeking of understanding across lines of difference. To sum it up, pluralism does not mean that one has to shed one’s own religious identity and disclaim one’s own commitment to the religion embraced, and it also it doesn’t mean syncretism that one mixes teachings of different religions. The core of pluralism is the strong commitment to build a synergic relationship with each other in order to ensure peace and harmony.

When one is a pluralist, it does not mean that one does not recognize the existence of religious differences, because such differences are natural, intrinsic, and given and can’t be avoided. But such religious differences can become the source for a healthy inter-religious relationship as a uniting force, and not as a divider that threatens certain religious identity and culture. Pluralism is built upon a foundation of inter-religious dialogue.

Pluralism can be achieved, at least through two activities: The first one is that intensive dialogue. The problem is the dialogue between people of different religions has been too frequently done but it is not effective. Why? Most dialogues end at the level of elites, which means only among prominent religious leaders at the national level.

So, dialogue should not only be carried out among the elite, but should be done at the “grass root” level. It must involve all elements of society, namely youth, women, entrepreneurs, cultural and educator organizations. Moreover, the process should involve marginalized groups. And also, the topics of the dialogue should be based on religious universal values and humanist religious interpretations.

Through this dialogue, those who embrace different religions and faiths learn more about each other, and this will subsequently lead to a better understanding between them. Mutual understanding ultimately leads them to seek common factors between the different religions to be then rendered as the foundation for living together in peace and harmony. 

Secondly, it is very important to create participatory activities. This strategy must be carried out following dialogue. Through participatory activities, religious leaders and religious communities from different religions are able to experience living or working together. This can be realized in the form of, for instance, a jamboree, or in activities involving the provision of humanitarian aid or medical aid for victims of disasters. The experience of living or working together will open their minds and encourage them to eliminate all forms of prejudice and to eradicate all the tendency to stereo-type other groups.

Solution and Recommendation

The first step is to redirect religion’s position by putting more emphasis on multi-cultural principles and teaching of universal values, not by teaching the ritual aspects that are legal-formal in nature. It is no longer time for dogmatic religious teachings that are full of myths and horror stories of doomsday. Religious teachings should encourage students to do good deeds, to care for each other, and should urge us to build a human civilization that is peaceful and harmonious.

Second, it is very important to urge religious leaders to promote humanistic, inclusive religious interpretations. So that, there will no longer be any interpretations that are discriminative against women and other minority groups. We have to promote religious interpretations that in line with principles of democracy and human rights. Interpretation of religion should be accommodative towards humanistic values. Religious leaders should return to their prophetic task which is to push for transformation of society in order to attain a civilized society.

Third, it is time to encourage inter-faith dialogues through international, national and regional meetings such as this one which was initiated by the Sant’ Egidio. It is my hope that this meeting shall not end merely as a meaningless ceremonial activity, but as a tool for introspection, reflection and evaluation. So that, we can all learn and pick the benefits from our own experiences as well as from other people’s experiences for a better future in living together.