Bismillah hir Rahmaan nir Rahim.
Assalamu’alaikum Wr Wb


Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
My brothers and sisters in Iman.


First of all, permit me to send warm regards and wishes from our Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Dr. Hassan Wirajuda. The Minister extends his humblest apology for not being able to be here among us today, due to a special assignment abroad given to him at the last minute. Allow me to deliver the Minister’s thoughts and perspectives that is embedded in this speech.

At the outset, let me extend a warm welcome to all the distinguished speakers and participants present in this Third International Conference of Islamic Scholars. Let me also commend the co-organizers of this event for successfully preparing this event and demonstrating their untiring commitment to continue the spirit of the ICIS.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, my brothers and sisters in Iman

This afternoon, I have the honor and privilege to address this distinguished forum on the many facets of potential sources of conflict and tension from an Indonesian perspective. The organizers have tasked me to propose ways and means to better understand the root causes of conflict and tension and even to suggest practical measures to this issue.

This will be no walk in the park.

But with the will of Allah, a solution will present itself; one that will instigate favorable consideration and even immediate application.

According to some academia, tension and conflict may be defined as a perceived divergence of interest occurring due to the absence of alternatives that were supposed to satisfy all parties. If we look at the current global situation, we witness conflict in the Muslim world dominating the media. Continuous headlines of conflict between Israeli and the Palestinian, the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the constant demonizing of Iran, just to name a few, bombard the minds of the general populace and subconsciously inject notions of hatred and animosity. Islam as blessing for the universe is overshadowed by circumstantial “trigger events” that shapes the opinions of individuals and communities against the Ummah.

Ladies and gentlemen, my brothers in faith.

In understanding the root causes of conflict and tension, we should be mindful of the international political developments, and the continuously evolving global social structure.

Most of us here witnessed the fall of the Berlin wall in the 90’s. An historic event that ended the world of cold war and shift in global priorities from security and survival concerns to preparing needs for peace and prosperity. Yet despite such hopes, we are still yet to enjoy the dividends of peace from these new millennia. Instead, we witness sporadic “inter-state” conflicts amongst states and coupled with countless “intra-state” conflict that occurs due to internal tension.

These new developments demand us to continuously review background of tension and conflict. If we look at the intra-state conflicts we can conclude a number of findings:

First, they arise due to political and economic injustice, exacerbated by the perception of threat to group identification and loyalty. Centuries of colonialism have also fostered racial hatred by reinventing, sharpening ethnic lines and inciting acts of separatism.

Secondly, they are vulnerable to sectarian conflict, where for most cases it is closely related to nation-building efforts—or lack of it. As Henry Kissinger pointed out, - many developing countries had to overhaul their foundations of statehood in the absence of a nation-building process. To this end, the pursuit of nationhood is often undermined due to a weak statehood.

Thirdly, they are prone to acts of terrorism. These acts, either blunt or unsophisticated, or highly calculated and advanced still produce the same outcome; chaos, mayhem and the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians.

Finally, in all cases of such intra-state tension and violence, the problem of poverty is always present. For the most part, conflict may be associated to persistent lack of resources, impoverished communities and a never ending struggle against hunger and malnutrition.

Ladies and gentlemen, my brothers in Iman,
It is my view that to unlock this cycle of violence there must a clear demonstration of mutual dialogue and accommodation with the expectations of greater welfare and long term peace.

For Indonesia, tension and conflict has colored the major turning points of our history. The infamous Bali bombings of 12 October 2002, that killed 200 innocent individuals, are one of those events in our history where both the government and people addressed the issue without sacrificing the respect for human rights. The most inexcusable aspect of this culture of terror was the invocation of Islam as a justification to cause chaos and destruction. This kind of behavior must be a concern for all Islamic scholars and Muslims

At the level of the state, pressure also builds from both sides of polar extreme, with centrifugal and centripetal forces pulling at the same time. On the one hand, the globalized world pulls the nation-state upward, gradually being absorbed into a larger integration process, such as the European Union. On the other hand, the nation-state is also being pulled down from within, with centrifugal force emerging in the form of micro-nationalism based on ethnicity, culture, tradition, language, and religion, as witnessed in the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, my brothers and sisters in Iman,

What can be done? Indeed, what can be done to end the cycle of violence when it seems to be part and parcel of the human condition? There may be three concepts that could be explored by this Forum.

First, the need to enhance the role democracy. We know that political and economic injustice has always been a source of conflict, as too are the prevalence of inequality and the oppression of the minority. The solution lies in rectifying the imbalance in the human relationship—recognizing that all human beings are equal and possess the same opportunities before the law of God and of man.

For Indonesia, as a nation consisting of hundreds of ethnics and thousands of islands, we have for the past 10 years untiringly pursued the difficult process of reform and democratization. And for that reason, Indonesia stands today proudly as the third largest democracy in the world with an overwhelmingly Muslim population; a living refutation of the flawed notion that Islam and democracy are incompatible.

Islam has always stood for the equality and fraternity for all human beings, and also for the free exercise of the human will. If only for that, we Indonesians possess a natural affinity to encourage dialogue that leads to consensus. We call this, “musyawarah untuk mufakat”—or what we all recognize as democracy. At the global level, we have witnessed the rise of democracy as both a universal value and an acceptable form of governance. The challenge for us is to ensure that democracy works and delivers greater welfare for its people. Furthermore, we must work hard to ensure that democracy is sustainable, not only at the national level but also at the international level. Secondly, conduct continuous dialogue. There is no other path for the human race but to undergo a learning process. A process that must stimulate greater dialogue amongst different faiths, cultures, and political persuasions. This dialogue must later compel greater cooperation. Hence, both dialogue and cooperation must become a conditioned habit. Somewhere within this long process, a deep and lasting friendship is formed; spawning mutual respect and care.

It is with this goal in mind that Indonesia has launched various kinds of dialogue among faiths, cultures and civilizations. Within our national boundaries, we have carried out this process with very positive results. Thus we have been able to end communal violence in Ambon and Poso, the two areas in eastern Indonesia. In Aceh, we were able to launch an earnest dialogue with separatist rebels; and later, in the wake of an earthquake and tsunami disaster devastating this province, forged a sincere dialogue that led to a peace agreement. Today, peace in Aceh prevails and the province is well on the high road to socioeconomic development.

As a member of the international community, Indonesia has also been an ardent advocate and promoter of dialogue. In 2004, we initiated the Asia-Pacific Regional Dialogue on Interfaith Cooperation and, in 2005, we organized the Asia-Europe Interfaith Dialogue. Both dialogues have now become major annual events.

We have also launched interfaith dialogues as a bilateral initiative with countries of a different culture such as Australia, New Zealand, the Vatican, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

In recognition to the role of mass media in combating ignorance and prejudice between faiths, cultures and civilizations, we have also initiated a series of Global Inter-Media Dialogues. With Norway as our co-sponsor, these inter-media dialogues were aimed at utilizing the mass media to be more an effective instruments for the promotion of mutual understanding and appreciation among the world’s different faiths and cultures.

Third, and last but certainly not least, is the challenge of multiple identities. I believe we all understand very well that it takes an open mind to accept, embrace, and celebrate multiple identities. And we simply cannot take this for granted. To begin we must dare to view from the other persons perspectives. Perhaps this is one of the greatest challenges for humanity to confront.

In Indonesia, our founding fathers have provided us with a concept: “Bhineka Tunggal Ika” or Unity in Diversity. This concept envisioned since 1928 continues to evolve in its application. It does not mean we are automatically united. In fact, at one point in history we emphasized unity at the expense of diversity. Later we realized that it was merely a short-lived illusion, and later to threaten our very nationhood. We have learned this valuable lesson from experience, and we realize now that it is in diversity that we must work hard to be united.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, my brothers and sister in Iman

In today’s age, we must be innovative and energetic in maintain peace and stability. It is both easy to make conflict as it is difficult to induce conflict. To attain the peace and unity that we desire, we must hear out the cries of our people. We must let them migrate to better social levels. But at the end of the day, we must maintain our unity.

I have great expectations that our ukhuwah will produce ideas that contribute to a safer world for our children. With the will of Allah, I hope you will all mobilize a jihad for peace and prosperity. Thereby making humankind a gentler, nobler species that is worthy of the intentions of our Creator.

I thank you.

Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.