“Do not be afraid,” that was the message of an angel to a group of shepherds in Bethlehem before telling them about the birth of Jesus Christ in the small town near Jerusalem 20 centuries ago. Jesus Himself often repeated the “do not be afraid” message to his disciples who often felt fear as his followers. The same message also applies to Palestinians, residents of Bethlehem, either Christians or Muslims, who today live under constant fear of the oppressive Israeli military.
Today, we would like to emphasize this message again to Indonesian Christians as many of them may feel anxious about their safety when they attend Christmas sermons today and tomorrow.
The sense of anxiety is not totally baseless. Several churches, in Jakarta, Bekasi, Depok, Bogor and Purwakarta (all in West Java) and Tangerang (Banten) have received warnings from either local authorities or people that should they persist with their plan to hold Christmas services. Last Thursday, a mob damaged a Catholic church in Bekasi although the building has met all necessary official requirements.
On Christmas Eve nine years ago, terrorists bombed several churches, killed and wounded church goers in Jakarta, Bandung and other places throughout the country. Many of the victims still endure the pain of those barbaric acts.
Among the minority, there is growing perception that it becomes harder for them to exercise their constitutional right of freedom of religion, to the point that they often feel second-class citizens in their own country.
But in the meantime there are also complaints about the behavior of Christians who flaunt their well-being amid the severe poverty that plagues the Muslim majority. Many Christians claim they are discriminated against because of their religion, while at the same time they also often discriminate against others because of their different religion. Many Muslims still sense the real threat of “Christianization” and to be honest the perception is not totally groundless.
The violent acts against minority groups were conducted by a small group of the majority in this country. The majority of Muslims in this country are tolerant and peaceful as reflected in the results of the country’s general elections both at local and national levels. But the small group is often so noisy and anarchic that the majority seems to be powerless, despite their vehement objection to such violence.
Religious leaders have regular dialogues among themselves and repeatedly express their commitment for harmony and tolerance. But it is evident dialogues at the elite level fail to reach the grass roots because the formal leaders have less genuine contacts with their followers.
There is no easy and simple solution to this complex problem because it also has strong relation with global developments. Just take the Palestine as an example. The injustices and oppression against the Palestinians — not all of them Muslims — by the Israelis with strong supports from the West, become a strong source of anger and frustration among Muslims worldwide. Muslims in many parts of the world also often experience discrimination because of their religion and faith just because of the irresponsible acts of a small group of Muslim who terrorize the world under the pretext of Islam.
Today is a very right moment for Indonesian Christians to ask themselves whether they have acted true citizens of Indonesia and true Christians. The central message of Christmas is peace. What have they done to create and preserve peace and prosperity in their society?
Merry Christmas!
