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A testimony of a Christian living in Muslim majority country.
15 Februari 2017 19:30
The media, both national and international, are questioning Indonesias pluralism right now. They are starting to wonder whether our tolerance is real.
But do you ever wonder how it feels to live as a part of Indonesias minority?
I can give you a glimpse.
I was born Christian in a country that has the biggest Muslim population in the world, but I never see this as a problem.
My mother comes from a Muslim family. Her family took care of me since I was a eleven-month old baby after my mother was diagnosed with mental illness. They loved me then and they love me now.
They are Muslims who were not hesitant to bring me to Sunday school every weekend. They fed me, sheltered me and made sure I grew up into a good person.
My cousin owns an Islamic Boarding School. Some of my best friends are Muslims. They brought me to the hospital when I had food poisoning and they offered their support when I needed it the most.
I am a Christian in a Muslim majority country, but that was never an issue for me growing up.
But now, I can see tension related to religious and racial differences on my social media and on the mass media. I dont know when our differences started to become a problem.
Now my other Christian friends are starting to worry about their safety.
Don't you realize that the place you are living now is not really safe for people like us?asked a friend.
Then how about me? Look at me! I am not just a Christian, I am Chinese as well, said another friend. Even without wearing a cross, people can tell who I am. If such thing [attack to minority groups] happens, Im dead!
I cant blame her. We havent forgotten what happened back in May 1998.
But that was in Jakarta. All is safe in Jogjakarta, right? Right?
But then I remembered a church in Solo was bombed and a kid was killed in another church bombing in Samarinda. No place is really safe for us.
Even after all that, I still cannot answer if you ask me how it feels to be a minority in Indonesia.
Its more complicated than just good and bad or safe and in danger.
People around me are the majority and I dont feel threatened around them. I could not imagine how my life wouldve been without them.
But my television and social media show different things.
Maybe, being a minority for me means that I cannot ever fathom how I should feel to be one.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect Brilio's.
