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US envoy reaffirms religious tolerance amid Trump ban

United States Ambassador to Indonesia Joseph R

Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, February 8, 2017

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US envoy reaffirms religious tolerance amid Trump ban

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nited States Ambassador to Indonesia Joseph R. Donovan has reassured students of the nation with the world’s largest Muslim population that the “Muslim ban” on review in the US will not affect the American value of religious tolerance.

Donovan conveyed this message following a meeting with Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Donovan assured Lukman that the travel ban policy would not halt cooperation between the US and the Indonesian government, especially in relation to student scholarship grants. Indeed, Donovan said one of his ambitions was to increase the number of Indonesian students studying in the US

“Last year the number went up about 7 percent and I would certainly like to see that number go even higher,” Donovan said.

An upcoming series of education fairs to be held across Indonesia, including in Jakarta, Surabaya and Yogyakarta, could offer an opportunity for students to research prospective universities in the US. All students, including Muslim students, will be able to meet with representatives to ensure that the institution can meet their needs.

As large and diverse countries, he said both the US and Indonesia shared common values concerning respect for religious belief, as well as a recognition of the importance of tolerance. The two countries could continue to learn from one another on these matters, the ambassador added.

“And again I think both Americans and Indonesians are very tolerant people at their core and I believe that these values that we share, the importance of tolerance and respect for religious beliefs, particularly other people’s religious beliefs, are the kind of values that will prevail in both of our societies,” Donovan said.

Last month the ambassador visited the Assalam pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in Sukoharjo, Central Java, to learn about Islam and Indonesia.

Lukman said the ambassador’s visit to the ministry highlighted the friendly relations between both countries and served to acknowledge that the US government paid great attention to religious issues.

“Hopefully in the future there won’t be any more policies that make it difficult for Muslim countries to build cooperation with the United States government,” Lukman told reporters on Tuesday.

He said the government, through the ministry, was cooperating with the US government in the 5000 Doctors program. In the program, the US government offers scholarship grants to Indonesians to pursue doctoral studies around the world, including in the US.

Recently, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning travelers from seven countries from entering the US. The ban was implemented to respond to immigration and national security concerns. A court in America has moved to suspend the ban, temporarily allowing the entry of travelers as long as they hold a valid US visa.

Separately, Hikmahanto Juwana, an expert in international law at the University of Indonesia, has warned of the possibility of rising animosity toward the US among Indonesians as a result of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Trump’s ban, he said, might be seen by some as a form of discrimination against Muslims.

In the education sector, Hikmahanto added, the US could see a drop in the number of Indonesian students.

“There’s a risk that Trump supporters, for example, won’t be able to distinguish between Indonesians and Sudanese, and will target Islamic symbols such as the hijab. This could give way to intolerance toward Muslim students,” Hikmahanto told The Jakarta Post over the phone.

Despite not being listed in the ban, he added that the Indonesian government must be vigilant in protecting its citizens studying in the US.

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