Page 423 - INDONESIA ISLAMIC CULTURE

and behavior that manifest religious The FKUB’s strategic role and the between Muslims and Christians. of fact, in the Ahmadiyah case it was
harmony. These things mean that the issuance of PBM, among others, were These events showed that inter- clear that the perpetrators of violence,
religious community is responsible for to increase the forum’s position as the religious dialogue still met with practical arsonists, and murderers justified their
development, particularly in the context government’s principal tool to organize difficulties. Some obstacles were that actions based on the 2005 MUI fatwa and
19
of building religious harmony. dialogues. Its role was also to get to the dialogues tended to be discursive the Joint Decree (SKB) of the Minister
know the aspirations of religious figures, and elitist and frivolous in the ways of Religious Affairs, the Minister of the
The technical implementation of the
government’s more institutionalized religious organizations and society they addressed the gaps between Interior and the Attorney General which
attempts to foster religious harmony in general in order to be able to offer religious elites and mediators in the field, ordered the cessation of the activities
is the official task of the Center for recommendations to the heads of the negative prejudices among inter-religious of the Ahmadiyah group to expand its
Religious Harmony (Pusat Kerukunan regional authorities to promote policies adherents, existing socio-economic unwanted influences (2008). In their
Umat Beragama, PKUB), an institution related to religious harmony, and to make disparities, and the low level of justice for actions against potential violations of the
under the authority of the Ministry of written recommendations on requests for the whole of society. A former Minister rules, they claimed to have preceded the
Religious Affairs. In 2000, this institution the establishment of houses of worship. of Religious Affairs Thalchah Hasan legal authorities. That security forces
had a sizable share in the process of The FKUB also has a more practical saw that the strengthening of religious sometimes did not take any anticipatory
the recognition of Confucianism as one and tactical role crucial to the formation harmony tended to be structural and action and preferred to keep silent,
of the official religions in Indonesia. of religious harmony in Indonesia. For politically oriented. 20 despite knowing of the violence would
Managing religious harmony is also example, the FKUB has the clear tasks So far, the FKUB has been unable to only made the matters worse. 22
organized in regional inter-faith forums 1) to detect and map cases of religious detect, dampen, or find solutions for Various pro-democracy groups and
called the Forum for Religious Harmony disharmony; 2) to reduce and to find disrupting unrest or sectarian conflicts pro-human rights NGOs, intellectuals,
(FKUB) which are strategic partners of solutions for potential disruptions; and with religious backgrounds. The violence religious figures, and lawyers pointed out
the government in linking the interests 3) to identify and revitalize local wisdom radical Islamic groups perpetrate against that the Joint Decree on the Ahmadiyah,
18
of the government and of societyin that supports religious harmony. minority communities such as the Jamaat and thus the Ministry of Religious Affairs,
the context of religious harmony. The However, some circles added some Ahmadiyah Indonesia (JAI) in West had been interfering in the internal and
role of this forum was strengthened critical notes as they concluded that the Java, Lombok and Banten, the Shiites in external affairs of a religious community.
by the issuance of the Joint Ministerial inter-religious dialogue program was Madura, and other conflicts and violent In fact, the Ministry of Religious Affairs
Regulation (Peraturan Bersama Menteri, insufficiently entrenched and played a actions instigated by disputes over the explained clearly that its concern with
PBM) of the Minister of Religious Affairs less significant role at the community establishment of houses of worship such religious harmony was limited only to
and the Minister of the Interior no. 8 and level. These critical notes were made as in Bogor, Bekasi, and many other external affairs and did not include
9, 2006 on the Guidelines for the Duties in reaction to events that occurred in areas are proof that the FKBU does not religious communities’ internal affairs. 23
of the Regional and Deputy Regional regions like Situbondo, Tasikmalaya, 21
Heads in maintaining religious harmony, Ketapang, Kupang, Ambon, Poso and function well in those regions. With regard to the rising problem of
the empowerment of the FKUB, and the the Moluccas, where religious violence In some cases, it is unfair to blame or violence and vigilantism caused by
establishment of houses of worship. 17 occurred in the 2000s, especially discredit only the FKUB. As a matter government policies, it is important

414 Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives 415