Why should I be tolerant?

I live in a rural area in Indonesia where 90 percent of the populations are Moslems. There are some branches, such as Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, and al Irsyad. However, they are basically Sunni. Yet even so, there was a conflict among us. I can say that it was not a big conflict. We could deal with it.

When I was in elementary school, there were some non-Moslems students and one Christian teacher that we had at school. At that time, it didn’t benefit me to think about tolerance because we didn’t have any problem among us. I think when we have never experienced a problem because of the differences, it doesn’t encourage us to think more about it.

I try to think much deeper how I understand Islam in Indonesia especially in my region, I can say that Islam as I understand it doesn’t have a political will; I have never been taught about politics. Islam as I understand it is much more cultural than political. As a Moslem, it sometimes challenges me to explore what the real Islam is. However I can say that the Islam that I understand can co-exist with other beliefs.

I remember when one of our Islamic scholars, Gus Dur, said that it is so important to maintain the tolerance in Indonesia. He really opposed the idea to include Islamic Law in our jurisprudence. For him, as long as Moslems can practice their belief, it is enough for us. Islam doesn’t have to be the source of the law officially because he thought it would be against the spirit of pluralism among us as Indonesians.

I can feel the importance of being tolerance when I am in the USA. Living in the country which is from difference groups of religions, ethnicities, cultures and languages teach me to put tolerance as a guide to live peacefully. As a minority in this country, I become aware that I should always maintain the tolerance in my country because I know from this fact non-Moslems in my country feel as I do now.