In Indonesia, Muslims are more willing to cooperate and communicate with other religious groups, such as Christians and Buddhists, than with different denominations of Islam. This is one of the various findings from the first quarter of our “Youth Ambassadors for Tolerance and Religious Diversity” project that began in March 2014. Other findings include the prominence of past incidents in target areas that still cause violence and resentment amongst community members and the limitedness of initiatives to foster religious tolerance in these local communities.
Amid the increase of inter- and intra-faith intolerance and violence, such as the forced closing of Christian churches in Bekasi, West Java and the eviction of Shiites in Sampang East Java, our project promotes inter- and intra-faith cooperation and tolerance in communities where there is high religious tension in Indonesia.
In partnership with Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN), we conducted several activities from March to June 2014, such kick-off and strategy meetings, baseline assessment, and youth mapping in three cities in West Java and three cities in East Java targeting members of youth organizations, and religious and community leaders between the ages of 16-28 years.
These activities have led to a detailed implementation plan and an exhaustive list of potential youth leaders, some of whom who will be selected as youth ambassadors. Our announcement of the 60 selected Youth Ambassadors in the beginning of the next quarter will be followed by a youth camp and a “Celebrating Religious Diversity” Roadshow.