Penulis: Dr. Ahmad Su’adi, MA.Hum***
From a cultural and religious perspective, ASEAN is a complex and pluralistic society, but it has strong historical roots of harmony. Despite the significant differences in cultural expressions among its 10 member states plus Timor-Leste, these countries share a long history of spiritual, religious and cultural dynamics that are in sync with each other. ASEAN is also distinguished by the different religious beliefs between mainland Southeast Asia in the north and archipelagic Southeast Asia in the south. Mainland countries like Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand are predominantly Buddhist, while the Philippines and Timor-Leste are largely Catholic. The archipelagic countries further south are mostly Islamic, covering Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam as well as the southern parts of the Philippines and Thailand, with the exception of Singapore in the middle, where the majority is Tao. Lest we forget, ASEAN Community Vision 2025 envisages “a dynamic and harmonious community that is aware and proud of its identity, culture and heritage”, which will typify the region as a sociocultural community. Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry, will host the ASEAN Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue Conference (ASEAN IIDC) 2023 on Aug. 7. Not only does this event take advantage of Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship, but it will also serve as a logical continuation of the country’s previous hosting of international events, such as the Group of 20 Religious Forum (R20) in early November 2022 and the Muktamar Fiqh Peradaban (Conference on the Fiqh of Civilization) at the peak of NU’s centenary celebration, which fell in February 2023 according to the Hijri calendar. While Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship has adopted the tag line “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth”, ASEAN IIDC bears the theme “ASEAN Shared Civilization Values: Building Epicentrum of Harmony to Foster Peace, Security and Prosperity”. That economic growth requires security and stability has become an axiom. However, security and stability are not only about physical and military aspects, but more importantly, also concern social and political harmony in civil society and the rising role of religion as a soft power in global diplomacy. Religious and cultural harmony provides a strong foundation for both economic growth and security assurance. ASEAN IIDC 2023 aims to draw inspiration from a long history of harmony promoted by Ashoka, a king who lived in India three centuries before Christ and whose tradition has become the basis of religious and cultural values concerning respect for humanity and peace in the ASEAN region. The spiritual values of Buddhism and Hinduism that originated in India have made significant contributions to the dynamics of harmony in the ASEAN region and surrounding areas. Similarly, the process of Islam becoming the majority religion in the archipelagic region during the 16th and 17th centuries did not leave behind wounds from conflict and violence. In Indonesia’s experience, the concept of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (unity in diversity) as recorded in Empu Tantular’s work, made significant contributions to Hindu-Buddhist peace during the heyday of the Majapahit Kingdom in the 14th century. This peace and unity were largely undisrupted, despite the Islamization that brought the majority religion to the archipelago in the 18th century. Despite the rather dark history of the Islamic Champa Kingdom being devastated by the Vietnamese kingdom in the 15th and 18th centuries, there are no lingering elements of religious hostility in the region today, although the issues have not been entirely resolved. Some of the Cham people have become diasporas in various countries around the world, while others who remained in the region live in a less favorable state.
This does not mean that ASEAN is currently in a state of complete well-being. The oppression of the Muslim Rohingya and other minorities in Myanmar by the military collaborating with Buddhist identity, the unresolved negotiations between Pattani and the government of Thailand, as well as Mindanao and the government of the Philippines and the violence in the Indonesian region of Papua are crucial issues on the regional bloc’s agenda. The consolidation of communism in Vietnam and Laos, though not without changes and challenges, also demands attention in creating a deep-seated agenda for religious and cultural harmony. Meanwhile, countries like Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam have not provided sufficient guarantees to certain minorities and their constitutions even contain explicit discrimination. Singapore, despite its high per capita income, still harbors significant gaps between the rich and the poor, and between Chinese and Malay ethnic groups. Although Indonesia’s Constitution reflects complete equality in citizenship, discrimination and lack of protection for certain minorities continue to occur. All these problems, while not showing significant escalation except for the Rohingya issue, indicate that cultural and religious problems can pose serious challenges that could disrupt growth, welfare and equality in the region. The global era, dominated by digital technology and mass polarization through social media, is another factor that can exacerbate the aforementioned problems. Alongside the unresolved legacy of postcolonial political and social issues, information technology must also be factored into the agenda of utilizing the historical memory of the cosmopolitan cultural harmony of Southeast Asian values. Buddhism and Islam, as the majority religions in northern and southern parts of the ASEAN region, supported by other religions and local beliefs, can serve as a strong foundation for the efforts to strengthen harmony for economic growth, welfare and equality in Southeast Asia.
*** The writer is chair of the organizing committee of the ASEAN Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue Conference 2023, to be hosted by Nahdlatul Ulama on Aug. 7.
