Date: 2 September 2008
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Venue: Global Distance Learning Center, Asian Institute of Management
Waging Peace Through Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation
“Creating a sincere brotherhood among different faiths is not only possible but necessary – and surprisingly beautiful,” concluded Pa Ahmad Syafii Maarif, speaking on the basis of his experience and years of involvement in promoting and fostering peace through interfaith dialogue and cooperation in his home country of Indonesia, the largest Muslim community in the world.
Pa Maarif is the recipient of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace and International Understanding for the year 2008. While in the Philippines to receive the award last August 31, he took the time to visit the Asian Institute of Management to speak among fellow peacemakers, members of civil society, academe and diplomatic corps, and officials from the Philippine Embassy and his colleagues from the Muhammadiyah Movement in Jakarta through videoconference last September 2. The lecture was the 79th edition of the AIM Policy Center’s Globalization Lecture Series.
Pa Maarif began his discourse with a background on the two major Muslim mainstreams in Indonesia, the Muhammadiyah Movement, in which he served as president, and the Nahdhatul ‘Ulama (NU), that are moderate, open-minded, and modern in their worldview. These two groups are staunch advocates of peace. An opposing minority, in Pa Maarif’s view, has developed a contrary attitude due to what he believes is their limited, subjective, and ad hoc understanding and interpretation of the same sources, which is the Qur’an. Going further, he identified the types of terrorism—individual, group, and state—bred by humiliation (in particular, he cited the subjugation by another group or ideology), rampant poverty, social injustices, and various hidden agenda of the stakeholders in the peace process.
As regards poverty, one of its sources, corruption, “also breeds terrorism,” Pa Maarif observes. Those who choose the radical path “misuse religion for the lowest worldly interests and purposes,” he added. Thus, good governance has a bearing in the process of waging lasting peace among different faiths.
Ending his speech, Pa Maarif reminds us of the three values needed in the pursuit of genuine peace and development – justice, sincerity and wisdom.
Pa Maarif’s talk was followed by reactions from a panel of peacemakers in the country, Ms. Amina Rasul-Bernardo, lead convenor of the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy, and Ms. Marites Guingona-Africa, founder and executive director of the Peacemakers’ Circle Foundation, Inc (PCFI).
Ms. Rasul-Bernardo spoke in the light of the recent events in Mindanao, voicing out her frustrations at the cancellation of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain that could have been a big step towards amity. She underscored that there is no substitute for dialogue. But when both parties come to the table suspecting each other of hidden agenda, how can dialogue possibly work, she queried. Politics – or the poor implementation of peace plans – is largely responsible for much of the misunderstanding and divisiveness, she noted. As regards the present impasse on the GRP-MILF peace talks as result of the stalled signing of the memorandum of agreement and the resumption of hostilities, Rasul-Bernardo suggests the implementation of a ceasefire agreement for the immediate, and eventual disarmament for the long term.
Ms. Guingona-Africa, for her part, shared the PCFI’s most recent initiatives in interfaith dialogue and gatherings in the Mindanao region. From the meetings, they found that fear and anger in the hearts of people and leaders cause more polarization and division, thus the realization that spiritual healing is essential in the journey to peace.
The audience in Jakarta and Manila were given a chance to participate in the open forum moderated by Prof. Edmundo Garcia of International Alert, UK. Participating in the forum live from Jakarta were Consul General Catalino Dilem, Jr. of the Philippine Embassy in Indonesia, representatives from the Philippine community and members of the Muhammadiyah Movement in support of their former leader, Pa Maarif. In Manila were Minister Counselor for Political Affairs Mr. Andhika Bambang Supeno of the Indonesian Embassy in the Philippines, Dr. Wilfrido Villacorta, Ms. Karen Tañada, the executive director of the Maarif Institute, Mr. Raja Juli Antoni and Hj. Nurkhalifah, the wife of Pa Maarif.
For the final segment of the lecture, Dr. Federico M. Macaranas, executive director of the AIM Policy Center, integrated the key points of the discussion in a synthesis. Dr. Macaranas noted that there are two dimensions that we need to address: the material and the spiritual. Today, perhaps we are in a less tolerant and more fearful and violent world because we have less of both. Both Indonesia and the Philippines share the same economic deprivation indices and he calls to mind that some parts of our countries that were left behind. Not surprisingly, these very same areas of material deprivation have become the breeding ground for radicalized groups or terrorists.
The BIMP-EAGA or the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area is one of the schemes that the four governments have come up with to address the needs of the neglected areas. But for a more lasting objective, what is essential is interfaith dialogue and cooperation. Part of this is good governance, which fortunately is being monitored by the Bishops-Ulama Conference and several civil society groups. He also mentioned the role of the media in communicating the news objectively.
Finally, Dr. Macaranas saluted Pa Maarif and the Muhammadiyah Movement for its independence and ability to communicate the right messages of peace to a vast country like Indonesia. Pa Maarif has dramatically shown a greatness of spirit in confronting terrorists in the Bali bombing and the US invasion in Afghanistan, the same greatness of spirit and selfless act of the late President Ramon Magsaysay.
Waging Peace Through Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation (.pdf)
(An Indonesian Experience)
by: Ahmad Syafii Maarif
2008 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Peace and International Understanding