I’m
Catholic I’m Indonesian
“No,
you better not join it. We’re minority, you know, that’s why father didn’t
allow you to join it,” said my mother to me. I was asking her that time last
holiday about joining a tour to Parangtritis together with whole Rejodani’s (my
village) people before she gave me that answer. Almost of them are Moslem,
that’s why she said, “We’re minority,” although there wasn’t any problem
between my family and those people. Our relation was good at all, so I thought
there’s nothing to fear that time. But I understood my parent’s worried, so I
decided not to join it; although I was disappointed, of course.
That
experience reminds me about my status. As a part of Indonesian civil, I am
Indonesian. In this plural-populous country which admits five religions as its
national religions, I live as a Catholic. So, I am Catholic and Indonesian at
the same time. Based on my experience, I’m now curious to know the meaning of
being Catholic in this plural-populous country. Does it means to be afraid as a
minority? Does it means to be exclusive from the other religious people,
especially Moslems? Does it mean better do nothing in front of many conflicts
among us for our safe?
To be minority
I
have always been studying at Catholic schools till now. I have never studied at
schools which were organized by the government. In those schools, Catholic
students are generally minority among the Moslem students. So, I’ve never felt
the taste of being minority as a Catholic at school. That’s why I always felt
safe, because I grew up among people who have the same religion with me.
I
then knew the meaning of being minority after my family moved to a village at
Sleman. I was at the third grade of junior elementary school at Kanisius that
time. There, at the village, I met some boys and decided to be their friend.
They were Moslem. I often played with them after that; swimming at the river,
playing kite at the rice fields, etc. I also went to their home at their
village by bike. There, I then realized that I was the only Christian boy among
them. But it didn’t matter to me. I always tried to behave well among them, and
they did the same. So did their parents, their friends, and the other Moslem
people there. They were good for me, and I was glad to know it.
To live among
conflicts
Time
by time, I then started to understand the problem of being minority in this
country from the mass media, such as news paper and television. The suffer of
Ahmadi (Ahmadiyyah) people, Protestant churches which were burned, and many other
cases made me angry, sad and disappointed. It is getting clear after my
religion teacher in Seminary, father Tanto, showed the video of the attack to
Ahmadi people at Cikeusik. I also understood the problem of being minority from
my friends who studied at state school, who were minority among the other
Moslem students and generally discriminated by the other. Moslems who I knew
were nice and well behaved, including my friends at Rejodani and my family who
were Moslems. Why did those people do those cruel torture and attack to the
minority? It astonished me, even now.
It
is unfortunate to know that some people hate plurality. They want to crush the
other who have different way of faith, or who have the way which is opposite
with their way such as Ahmmadiyah. They even want it be changed to be
singularity, such as NII (Negara Islam Indonesia). But those are the truth of
risks which plural country have. So,
once again: does it mean we have to be afraid as a minority? Does it means to
be exclusive from the other religious people, especially Moslems? Does it mean
better do nothing in front of many conflicts among us for our safe?
I’m Catholic I’m
Indonesian
Again,
I remember my friends at Rejodani and my family at Surabaya. They are good
Moslems, and I always proud to be their family. From them, I knew that not all
Indonesian Moslems are definitely the same of those who did a lot of conflicts.
True Moslems love peace and shall never do what those people did. I then
realize one thing, “My friends and my family are truly Moslems and truly
Indonesian.”
So
do I. I’m Catholic, I’m Indonesian, and I want to be truly Catholic and truly
Indonesian. “One hundred percent Catholic, one hundred percent Indonesia,” that
is what Mgr. Alb. Soegijapranata, SJ said. What does it mean? It means to love
the other just like we love our self. By doing it, we will also do many other
things: appreciating the other religions, doing tolerance among the other, etc.
It also means to live the ideology of our nation which appreciates the beauty
of pluralism, Pancasila. So I, even us, shall be truly Catholic and truly
Indonesian.
After
realizing all of these, I understand that we don’t have to be afraid. We don’t
have to be exclusive. We don’t have to do nothing. Oppositely, we have to be
brave, to be inclusive, and to do something by loving the other. I believe,
when we do them, we shall be truly Catholic and truly Indonesian.
Mertoyudan, 11th August 2012
Among lots of deadlines,
Paulus Eko Harsanto
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