Jakarta Globe:

An angry mob torched an Islamic boarding school, an adjacent mosque and a row of houses in Sampang, East Java, last Thursday. In February last year, a pesantren, or Islamic boarding school, in Pasuruan, also in East Java, was attacked by a mob for no apparent reason. Four students suffered head injuries.

These incidents were not the first for the two schools. The attacks on these schools, which belong to the minority Shi’ite sect of Islam, raised concern over possible sectarian strife breaking out in Sunni-majority Indonesia, given such conflict in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The attacks placed in a spotlight the Shi’ite minority and its relations with the Sunni majority in Indonesia. Unlike in Malaysia and Singapore, where a Shi’ite minority has always been present, Indonesia’s Shi’ites became more prominent only after Iran’s Islamic revolution in 1979, when some Sunnis converted to Shi’ism and Indonesian scholars returned from study in Iran. Before the revolution, there were a small number of Shi’ites, mainly Arab descendants who kept a low profile.

But Shi’ism is not a new phenomenon as many Shi’ite elements are found in classical Indonesian literature and even in cultural traditions. One such tradition is commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, Prophet Muhammad’s grandson. However, the Shi’ite faith is not embedded in Indonesia’s religious beliefs……………..

Indonesia will have to fall back on its national motto, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, or unity in diversity, to strengthen tolerance and the spirit of coexistence. The motto should not only be acceptance of diverse religions, but also of diversity within one religion. Read More