S

ome 120 international delegates are convening in Semarang, Central Java, from March 11 to 15, to discuss and better understand interstate religious issues.

“They are expected to contribute a great deal toward the creation of peace and security in the
[Asia-Pacific] region through various activities, including handling conflict resolution and mediation,” Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Wardana said referring to the sixth Regional Interfaith Dialogue (RID) forum.

Wardana said that this year, the forum was focusing more on second-track diplomacy, facilitating interactions among non-state actors from 13 Asia-Pacific countries.

The RID was first held in Yogyakarta in 2004, then in Cebu (the Philippines, 2006); Waitangi (New Zealand, 2007); Phnom Penh (Cambodia, 2008); and Perth (Australia, 2009).

Australian delegate Maryum Chaudhry said that Central Java, where the interfaith dialogue was being held, was not just home to various ancient tourist sites, such as the Buddhist Boroburdur and Hindu Prambanan temples, but was also home to cultures that highly respected pluralism.

“You can find many different houses of worship that have been built here. This proves that the community is open to other religions,” said Chaudhry.

As such, she added, other countries could learn a lot from Indonesia. “I do hope through this forum, each one of us can share experience and information on pluralism issues and explore how conflict resolution can be achieved,” she said.

Another delegate, Teresita Quintos-Deles of the Philippines, shared how her country develops interfaith harmony through education.

“Over the years, the increasing number of schools, universities and ‘peace centers’, which have been established by academic institutions and civil society groups, have become increasingly important allies in the interfaith-dialogue movement in the Philippines,” she said.

She also mentioned the role of grassroots community and religious figures in these efforts, in which they received the largest portion of the interfaith harmony development.