From March 28 to April 1, 2022, was the first time I learned about Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy (CCRL). Two weeks before that, I received a mandate from the Head of the Muhammadiyah Council for Primary and Secondary Education in Purworejo Regency to represent Muhammadiyah teachers from Purworejo in a CCRL training. The training was a webinar organized by the Leimena Institute and the Maarif Institute. This training was part of a program to enhance the capacity of madrasah / pesantren / ISMUBA (Islamic Education) teachers in Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy.

I followed the webinar by listening carefully to each speaker. The speakers were from both Indonesia and abroad, and simultaneous translation was provided, which made it easy for me to follow along. I was a participant in the 15th cohort in 2022. After completing the program, I had a much better understanding of CCRL and became more familiar with other religions and cultures.

A New Mindset: From Homogeneity to Diversity

CCRL was a completely new concept for me. Since I grew up in an environment with only one religion and one ethnic group, I had never experienced differences firsthand. I was raised in a Muslim community with the same Javanese customs, so there were never any conflicts related to religion, ethnicity, or race. This continued through my education, from kindergarten to senior high school, which was also within the same religious and ethnic environment—Islam and Javanese.

It wasn’t until I went to college in Yogyakarta that I first experienced a cross-cultural environment. However, I still didn’t have much experience with cross-religious interactions, as my university was 100% Muslim students. So, I didn’t experience much difference since we were all within the same Islamic scope. But meeting students from various regions gave me stories and the understanding that their lives were different from mine. This was my first introduction to cross-cultural experiences.

Befriending people from various ethnic groups, such as Sundanese, Palembang, and others, helped me get to know their cultures better. I often discussed their traditions with them. I also had friends from other regions like the Batak, Minang, Lombok, and other tribes. Learning about their respective ethnic groups taught me a lot and broadened my perspective on Indonesia’s cultural diversity.

This diversity of different ethnic groups left a lasting impression on my heart, giving me a deep understanding of other cultures. I held on to all the knowledge I gained from that experience as a provision for my life away from home. At that time, I hadn’t yet considered who I would socialize with or what my new environment would be like. In my mind, I thought everyone would be just like me—always respecting others, other religions, and other ethnic groups, with no discrimination. This was because my understanding had never encountered diversity that resulted in conflict.

Lessons in Neighborly Life

In 2003, I settled in Bekasi and bought a house in a residential complex, which required me to adapt. Having non-Muslim neighbors made me feel a bit awkward at first. But coincidentally, my neighbor was of the same ethnic group, Javanese. This allowed us to communicate well, especially since we could both speak in Javanese. I felt that this new life wasn’t too different from my previous one. After a few years, we parted ways because my neighbor was transferred to Central Java.

After the departure of my Javanese Christian neighbor, a new family rented the house. They were a Christian family from Ambon. When I first heard about my new neighbors, my heart sank a little. Many stories had spread about them, such as how they often had conflicts with their previous neighbors. I didn’t know whose fault it was, and I didn’t want to know too much about their past lives. I had a principle that as long as I was good to someone, that person would be good to me. This was based on the Quranic verse about tasamuh or tolerance. This became my guide for socializing with my non-Muslim neighbors.

At one point, I received a warning from someone to be careful with my neighbor, “Mr. A,” because he could “explode” at any moment. After receiving this warning, I tried my best to be a good neighbor, as Islam also teaches us how to be a good neighbor to those who do not share our faith. Alhamdulillah, we lived together peacefully for three years. I even learned a lot about the Ambonese region and its people. We felt like a family because of our good relationship. They always greeted me kindly, and I did the same. We helped each other with humanitarian issues that did not interfere with our faith. The principle that if I respect others, others will respect me became the foundation of my life as a sojourner living in someone else’s neighborhood.

The Boundaries of Tolerance

Time passed, and it was time for my Ambonese neighbor to move to another block because their rental contract had expired. We were now far from each other, but we still communicated and asked about each other’s well-being. Our communication stopped after they moved out of the complex and only their children remained, so we lost touch. The house was then rented by a Chinese family who were Christian. I already had enough experience with non-Muslim neighbors, so I knew how to act. However, I still had to learn to adapt to a new culture.

Our physical features, face shapes, and skin colors were very different. I am Javanese with olive skin, which felt dark compared to my new neighbors of Chinese ethnicity. We respected these differences. We often communicated to find common ground so that our differences wouldn’t be a problem. We let our religions be different, but we respected each other. Although they were of Chinese ethnicity and non-Muslim, they did not eat pork, as it was forbidden by their faith. They ran a home business making food products like cakes and soy milk. I observed and carefully examined their process to make sure everything was halal, so I felt confident consuming their products.

Through our conversations, I learned about their beliefs. When I once told them that I could not wish them “Merry Christmas,” they understood that the principles and beliefs of Muslims also varied. We continued to respect each other, living peacefully side-by-side and helping each other in humanitarian matters.

At one point, a Muslim friend of mine once asked, “Why are you so close to a non-Muslim?” I explained that my closeness was just a hablum minannas, a relationship with fellow human beings, without interfering with my relationship with Allah. They didn’t interfere with my faith and worship, and I didn’t interfere with theirs. I only helped them with humanitarian matters when they needed assistance. It was only natural that when I had extra food, I would give it to them as my closest neighbors.

Having neighbors of different religions, ethnicities, and races taught me how to put the principle of tasamuh, or tolerance, into practice. Tolerance is highly encouraged in Islam. With the principle of “your religion is your religion, and my religion is my religion,” we can coexist with non-Muslims. Tolerance is taught in Islam, but it should not lead us to go too far, as we have heard of some singing praises in a church or a choir singing in a mosque. Tolerance does not mean that we can freely engage in other religions’ rituals. We must respect one another within the boundaries allowed by our religions. Let us learn about other religions to gain a better understanding, but only within what is permissible and what is not.

In Islam, interfaith marriage is also forbidden, and as Muslims, we must abide by that. We cannot use tolerance or tasamuh as an excuse to forget the rules or be careless in our religious practices. All religions certainly teach us to be good and do good, but our core beliefs are what set us apart from other religions.