Ansor and Christian group to plan interfaith dialogue

Ternate, NU Online
Following the increasing religious radicalization having recently happened in the country, especially in Ambon, the Ansor Youth Movement and the Maluku Pentecostal Church (GPM) in North Maluku would reportedly hold an interfaith dialogue.

In a meeting was held at the house of the GPM pastore, Ternate, North Maluku yesterday, the Ansor chairman Salim Thaib, accompanied by several its board members said that Ansor as an autonomous body of the Indonesia's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) had been committed to maintaining the nation's four pillars which have currently been prone to degradation, including inter-faith relations.

"This is our preliminary meeting, and we hope, GPM can open the doors to communication with us more intense again," he said.

In line with Salim, St.Rudy R said that he had the same interests, how to establish a better communication with Muslims, especially in North Maluku in promoting peace. He promised, before further communicating with Muslim organizations, he would first build a common perception among Church young people and mass organizations.

"I will also communicate with so-called GAMKI and other elements internally in regrd with this shared vision. Our Church great vision is also how to boost peace (process), "he said.

Meanwhile, St. Ruth Saia was of view that there would be a great hope from the GPM to the North Maluku Ansor concerning possible efforts to bring such purposeful dialogues to official forums.

For that reason, Ruth added, to acheive the intended goal there must be a shared perception, namely raising public awareness of the grassroots to avoid any possible suspicion that the interests of peace are owned by the elite only.

"We start with internal consolidations and culminate in  official forums," he said.

He admitted, before being commissioned in Ternate, he himself had participated in various interfaith activities concerning efforts to create peace in Java. Unfortunately, he said, such activities had not yet been maximized in North Maluku because of poor network. Even he admitted being confused for being given a trust to promote peace activities in North Maluku.

"I used to communicate with some people, but the results did not work maximally. I was also confused for having no any network," he said. (mkf)