T

he US government is impressed with RI’s government and the people’s commitment to pluralism.

Indeed, when Gus Dur was still alive, he was the front-runner to constantly push and regularly preach for peace and religious tolerance. Indonesia lost a powerful religious person, respected by people from so many different religions here and abroad and by so many people from all walks of life.

Gus Dur is a saint. The United States praised religious tolerance in Indonesia, but why then are the Ahmadiyya still being pursued and harassed? Why are churches burned down in North Sumatra? Why is it still difficult to obtain a license to build a church in Jakarta and other places?
The US delegation only sees whatever they wish to see and Jakarta is absolutely not the place to show them religious tolerance. The US delegation should travel around and they certainly are not the right group of people to stimulate religious tolerance here in Indonesia.

First of all, Americans are not respected anymore, especially in Muslim countries; they are being tolerated but absolutely not respected.  The prolonged war in Iraq and Afghanistan has brought this on. Even Donald Trump emphasized that Americans are not respected anymore, anywhere and he should know, being a powerful businessman traveling all over the world to conduct billion-dollar business deals.

Indonesia should constantly push for interfaith dialogue between leaders of different religions.
With Gus Dur gone, pushing for religious tolerance seems to be a very difficult task.


Lynna van der Zee-Oehmke
Bogor, West Java