I Wayan Sudhirta, a member of the Regional Representatives Council, was probably right, as Hindu-dominated Bali has successfully managed to escape from ethnic and religious unrest thanks to the local concept of Nyama Braya, a centuries-old bit of wisdom.

Governor Made Mangku Pastika insisted that Bali belongs to the entire community regardless of their religious and cultural background. Eighty-five percent out of a total population of 3.9 million on the tiny island are Hindu. Ten percent are Muslim, 2 percent are Catholic or Protestant, and 3 percent are Buddhist or other faiths.

“We have always been proud of our harmonious relations with people of other faiths,” Pastika said. He added the majority of Balinese embrace the concept of Nyama Braya. “We treat people of different faiths as Nyama – Brothers and Sisters. We call Muslim residents Nyama Selam and Christians Nyama Kristen,” he said.

Pastika said long before the central government issued the 2006 Joint Ministerial Decree on Places of Worship, which created interfaith communication forums, Bali had already established such forums 10 years before in l997, at the provincial and regional levels.

“The presence of interreligious forums has been strategic in curbing any potential religious and ethnic conflict,” the governor said.

The Muslim community has resided on the island for hundreds of years at the invitations of Balinese royalty. Some of them were royal soldiers. The King of Pemecutan in Denpasar granted his Muslim soldiers an area that is now the predominantly Muslim villages of Kepaon and Warnasari. In Singaraja, North Bali, the King of Buleleng provided land for his Muslim soldiers, now famous as the Pegayaman, Bugis and Kampung Jawa Muslim villages.

Bali’s Muslims did not seem to be considered a threat by the majority Hindus until the 2002 Bali bombing. The majority of the isle’s conversions to Islam were through marriages.

In contrast, Christianity entered Bali during the Dutch colonial period in the early l9th century. Forced conversions of Balinese to Christianity caused tensions in the predominantly Hindu society. The use of Hindu terminology in Christian liturgies and in the names of churches and schools in an effort to attract new converts sparked disagreement from Hindus. Those seeds of tension might still exist today between Hindus and Christians if not for certain efforts.

Herman Yoseph, director of Denpasar Episcopal, said that intensive communication and continuing interfaith dialogue between communities has reduced and even eliminated these tensions.

“The Catholic churches in Bali have built strong relations through interreligious forums and have been open to input,” Yoseph said.

Respecting other religions is one of the important factors in building a harmonious and tolerant community, he said. He added that the Episcopal Church faced difficulties and constraints especially when it planned to build a new church in a Hindu-dominated village.

Permits to build places of worship, including churches and mosques, must come after intense discussion among members of banjar (traditional villages), local authorities and religious leaders.

Syamsul Bahri from the Bali Religious Affairs Office said that requirements for building churches, mosques and other places of worship were stipulated in the Joint Ministerial Decree on Places of Worship, as in other parts of Indonesia.

“But the decree has a bylaw and, more importantly, is also enacted through intense dialogue with members of banjar and traditional leaders.”

Aloysius Heang, secretary of St. Yoseph Church in Denpasar, shared the view saying that communication is key to building tolerance and understanding.

“It would be easy if we always followed local rules. [Church officials] always attend meetings with authorities and members of the banjar, and are involved in many activities. When building a church, all the members of the village helped us,” Heang said.

M. Taufik, chairman of the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council, said there were no significant tensions between Balinese Hindus and Muslims, as well as other faiths.

One major tension occurred after the Kuta bombing in October 2002, conducted by a minority Muslim radical group, and the incident might have sparked anti-Muslim violence and conflicts. Through the strong leadership of local authorities at that time and the involvement of community and religious leaders, conflict never happened. “As a minority we have to respect local culture. [Muslims] sometimes want to build a place of worship without considering the requirements and getting approval from the locals,” Taufik said.

In addition to dialog through interreligious forums, the authorities and members of traditional villages, the roles of the Balinese royal families have been crucial in maintaining religious harmony on the island. In contemporary Bali, the royal families are still powerful patrons for the community, including for cultural and religious affairs.

Anak Agung Ngurah Agung from the Pemecutan Royal Palace is the direct descendant of King Pemecutan in Denpasar, who was one of the pioneers of religious tolerance in Bali and invited Muslims to the island. “We have continued building relations with our Muslim brothers and sisters and people of other faiths and have discussed any problems that might arise in order to find solutions. I have to maintain the tradition set up by my forefathers,” Agung said.

The lesson to learn from Bali is that exemplary and committed leaders, community involvement and communication has created religious harmony on the island of the gods.

Desy Nurhayati is a journalist at The Jakarta Post and Wasti Atmodjo is a contributor to The Jakarta Post.

Popular

RI, Australia strengthen partnership on taxing crypto assets

Analysis: Indonesia denies normalization with Israel to enter OECD

Citroen to produce electric cars in Indonesia