The Cordoba Initiative and Its Controversies

It is still obviously remembered the attack of The Twin Tower of World Trade Center in 2011. As the tragedy is still being debated and also controversy, another controversy is there when Imam Faesal with his initiative in building mosque named The Cordoba Initiative. Thus, a big question arises as regards that plan: Should a mosque be built near Ground Zero?

How is the discussion about the Cordoba Initiative? Just take a look at the following discussion from New York Times Learning blogs.

The MICo, Bridging Religious Diversity in Malang

Malang Inter-faith Community (The MICo) is now being nominated in the KAMI Service Project Competition and Conference Program. The MICo is initiated by three young scholars of American sponsored program: Nurona Azizah (Medical School, Brawijaya University), Sueb, S. Pd (State University of Malang) and Rif'atul Lum'ah (State Islamic University of Malang). All three are alumni of exchange programs funded by the Government of the United States that is IELSP (Indonesia English Language Study Program) in 2011.

KAMI (Community Young Alumni Indonesia) is reserved exclusively for alumni scholarship recipients from the Government of the United States. Each is a study of the U.S. Institute (SUSI), The Indonesian Youth Leadership Program (IYLP), Linking Individuals, Knowledge and Culture (LINC), the ASEAN Young Leadership Program, and Indonesia English Language Study Program (IELSP).This event has several purposes including the development of personality alumni, improving organizational and leadership skills, and enhance mutual understanding in relation to Indonesia and the United States among the participants and the local community.

For this KAMI Service Project Competition and Conference Program consists of four themes. Four themes offered include environmental, community activities, volunteerism, and religious diversity. Into the category of religious diversity, The MICo is as a forum that mediates the dialogue between religious communities in the region of Malang, especially at campuses in Malang. Among the entities included in this forum are students, religious leaders, government officials at the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, as well as academics.

To PRASETYA Online, Azizah conveyed, Malang is a city where education of various regions in Indonesia. They come from various ethnic, religious and class. Conflicts and frictions could arise if there is no common understanding among tribes, religions and classes. By specializing in religious dialogue forum, The MICo has carried out its program for a month starting February 22 until March 22, 2012. Activities that The MICo held was the first seminar being attended by some religious communities including Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism.

The next agenda was a meeting to discuss in more detail the establishment of this The MICo. "If the forum has been formed it will be followed by inter-religious discussion on a regular basis to foster mutual understanding and tolerance," said Azizah to PRASETYA Online. Furthermore, it would be beneficial to minimize friction and conflict that may lead to more severe conditions such as war, terrorism, radicalism, and humiliation.

Among the participants who attended the first seminar held on March 10, 2012 is the representative of the people of Harmony Forum (FKUB) as well as students from UB, UM, UIN and Ma Chung. The conference was attended by over 40 attendances representing the six major religions. Speakers at the occasion were KH, Abdul Karim Udin, SH; H. Pastor Sudjoko Santoso and Drs. John Hadi Susilo, M.Pd.

On programs that have been held, The MICo was elected to the KAMI Service Project Competition and Conference Program will be held at 1 to 3 June 2012 in Jakarta. This activity is organized by the Center for Civic Education Indonesia (CCEI) and is supported entirely by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs.

The article is adopted from PRASETYA Online of Brawijaya University Press.

Media and Overblown Religious Intolerance

We strongly agree with how we should be prudent in dealing with various cases of conflicts in the name of religion. If we refer to The Jakarta Post article about religious intolerance, we should be able to see the other side of the success of religious life; not just negative only. It is inevitable that religion is still a tool for actors in influencing the future for the benefit of one-sided.

As the media continually exposing information about the religious intolerance in Indonesia, that is not balanced. As the result, instead of conveying information, the media would spread animosity to the people who actually do not solve a problem, but exacerbates the problem.

Thus, it is very important to establish interfaith forum that can provide balanced information to the public. Through this interfaith forum, the participants are not to blame one side or the other, but rather how to formulate measures to solve them.