Number Matters
Hi #USIPP2016 ! It's Eid, and Eid Mubarak to my friends here who celebrate. As the Indonesia's Eid greeting says, I'd like to appologize if I did something wrong in our very first month knowing each other and doing the program together. Anyway, It's been a week or so, since we closed the program. I got mixed-feeling ever since, and every moment we share provokes me to think and contemplate even more. And I get few things to highlight with me, as a conclusion (?). Too bad we didn't have much time to hear individual reflection like after we finish US part :(((((, but I'm happy to write it here so other people can read and I can get back to this whenever I need it. I name my post with "number matters" for I applied this program because I want to see the dynamics of religious majority and minority groups in democratic society. It scares me, that throughout the visits and lectures, I can see my initial assumption was true, that numbers matter. Being large in numbers can be very prone to make a religious group arrogant, feel as the righteous and when they got governing power, policies can be so much self-centered on their own religion. Meanwhile being small in numbers can easily make a group feel less-worthy, voiceless and oppressed, even though they are not. But, I adore late President Abdurrahman Wahid and all his family's movement which untill now strives to make Muslims as majority in Indonesia as a friendly community, who are not judgy, but appreciating and respecting religious diversity in Indonesia. Knowing that being majority in number nationally, does not always mean majority regionally, keeps this movement humble. At many regions, Muslims can be the minority and can be prone to oppression, just as prone as other minority groups in regions where Muslims are majority. I adore how the movement also chooses to interpret verses in Holy Scriptures for the good of not only Muslim community, but the good of the nation, for the harmonious relationship between any believers. As strong religious figures, people in Gusdurian network can be very influential in driving Muslims to be friendly, as majority nationally. I love this initiative. Because minority who speaks up for religious harmony might make changes, but not as big as if the majority who speaks it up to their brothers and sister who are very prone to be the actors of conflict and oppression. I adore, in US side, how Jewish community never felt less as citizens, just because they are small in numbers and been experiencing the terrible Holocaust. Also the Confusians we met in TMII Jakarta and local believers of Kejawen we visited in Yogyakarta, never felt less as citizens. Both are in faith with their religions, and always feel like the government should protect them in exercising their beliefs even they are small in numbers. Thanks to constitution in both US and Indonesia. I deeply hope, may any pretentious government officers who are still oppressing minority get an enlightment to look back at the beauty of protection granted in constitution. The beauty of this program is not only it answers a lot of my questions through lectures, visits and individual sharings, but it leaves me questioning further, which I would love to find the answer: If rights belong to human as an individual, why less numbers make somebody feel less worthy as a human? why more numbers drives arrogancy and oppresion? why religious groups play with numbers? why religious groups "play" the games of oppression to others? can somebody just believe in religion and keep it in private spehere with God, not using it as a tool to create chaos? As a final note, I believe everyone (participants and committee members) is tired, physically and emotionally, feel uncomfortable with all the culture shock, but all the lessons, all the good and bad feelings are worth for memories so much to me. I'll carry the lessons in every steps in life I take after this. Thank you USIPP for putting so much on my individual development to acquire your beautiful values, so much different with other programs I ever joined which demand participants so much to spread out the thoughts to home communities without concerning how the program values play out in participants' mind. At the end of the day, if I think the program lessons are good, of course I would like to share some with people at home whom I feel would appreciate the lessons, without me necessarilly required to be " a preacher of religious pluralism and democratic society", with a sudden burden to make my home community better in understanding pluralism. What a naive goal, thank you for not imposing that much naive things, USIPP. You're good and keep it good by keep involving people who are passionate in the theme, like you always do. Gayatri 'Gya' - Universitas Indonesia
