Frankly speaking, we expected more from the Swiss in their vote whether to endorse a government ban on minarets.
Known as the most peaceful nation in the world, never engaged in war, one naturally presumes tolerance is part of the Swiss national character. Its vote supporting the ban shows we probably expected too much from them.
Rather than lamenting the outcome of a democratic process, we in Indonesia and in the Islam world must see the Swiss vote as a challenge to surmount.
If a nation as peaceful as Switzerland sees the minaret as a symbol of Islamic fundamentalism and radicalism, how do other nations who are less tolerant see this symbol of Islam?
As a democracy with the largest Muslim population worldwide, Indonesia must take the lead in the global campaign to change the perception in the West, formed largely by the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US in 2001, which associated Islam with violence and terrorism. The ensuing terrorist attacks in Jakarta, Bali, the Philippines, Madrid, London, Mumbai and other places have only widened the gap between the West and the Islamic world. The Swiss vote is a reflection of the growing anti-Islam sentiment.
Indonesia has already initiated many interfaith dialogues, including one between Asia and Europe.
This is now very much part of the country’s foreign policy. Only through greater dialogue can people of different faiths understand one another and coexist peacefully together.
The Swiss vote means we need to do much more.
But Indonesia can only make a significant contribution to a more peaceful and tolerant world by starting at home.
The Swiss vote is only a ban against minarets. Muslims there can still have mosques, just without symbols that many Swiss find offensive. This is already much more than what many religious minorities have in a predominantly Muslim Indonesia.
Before we can preach the message of tolerance, we need to practice it at home.
Source: The Jakarta Post | Wed, 12/02/2009
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