Interreligious peacebuilding in Indonesia

Background information

The freedom of religion enshrined in Indonesia's state constitution and the state motto "unity in diversity" propagate pluralism. The majority of Muslims practice a locally influenced, moderate Islam. However, intolerance has increased among the population. Narrow-minded or uneducated views toward other religious groups are evident in social media, sermons, publications, and public and political discourse. The authorities do not make sufficient efforts to protect the rights of minority groups, including Muslim minorities such as the Ahmadiyah. Radicalism also occurs on the part of minorities, such as Christians. In various regions of Indonesia, incidents related to violence, persecution, and oppression of religious minorities occur regularly. In addition, religion is instrumentalized by anti-democratic forces: Ex-militants from the years of Suharto's autocratic rule ally themselves with Islamist groups in order to assert their own political power interests. Even the Christian-Chinese governor of Jakarta was convicted of alleged blasphemy against Allah and deprived of his power. Wahhabi-oriented educational institutions and mosques oppose tolerance and pluralism. Radical groups sprout from them and sometimes resort to terrorist means.

Project goals

In particular, young people and young leaders within the sphere of influence of our partner organizations are empowered to build nonviolent and equal relationships across ethnic and religious boundaries, to launch their own interfaith initiatives, to prevent violent conflicts, and to mitigate the potential for violence in situations of violence and conflict at various levels.

• Dialogues between conflict parties for peace consolidation are initiated and accompanied
• Peace mediators are trained
• Strategies for the non-violent resolution of conflicts are promoted
• Those affected by violence are given access to psychosocial and legal support
• The government, Indonesian authorities and community leaders are sensitized to human and civil rights

Target group

The beneficiaries are selected by Mission 21's partner organizations, which are very well rooted in society. Attention is paid to participation from different religious communities, especially those not known for openness and tolerance, and special support for women. The prevailing patriarchal culture and a conservative understanding of religion often mean that the involvement of women in the public sphere and project activities is widely regarded as taboo.

• Women, young adults and youth from mainly rural communities in West Java
• Junior church leaders
• Victims of violence, especially women
• Key political and social figures

Activities

• Research on radicalization in West Java
• Activities to prevent radicalization and transform conflict, including awareness-raising work, book and video productions, youth encounters, practice-oriented training programs, the establishment of locally adapted formats for interreligious dialogue, the establishment of so-called peace villages, solidarity visits from communities under pressure
• Psychosocial and legal support for victims of violence
• Networking with high-level religious associations, government agencies, policymakers, and the media
• Maintaining the alumni network of former participants, the so-called peace ambassadors

Project progress

In 2025, the partner organizations strengthened interfaith cooperation in communities as well as in urban contexts. A key highlight was a three-day interfaith expo in Banjarmasin (Kalimantan, Borneo), which brought together numerous visitors as well as schools, faith communities and cultural groups. The event impressively demonstrated how accessible, community-oriented spaces facilitate encounters and reduce distance between different groups.

Universities and civil society organizations expanded learning visits and dialogue formats. This enabled several hundred students to get to know different religious communities directly. Networks of interreligiously committed women linked ecological issues, social responsibility and everyday issues of coexistence and made it clear how common concerns promote trust.

Work with young people remained a priority. A new year of the interfaith youth camp was held with strong alumni participation and supported by newly developed training materials.

Cooperation with local authorities was also further developed. In Banjarmasin, impulses from dialogs were incorporated into the revision of a regulation for more tolerance. In addition, partner organizations supported communities with issues relating to permits for prayer rooms.

Several dozen victims of religiously motivated violence received psychosocial or legal support - with a focus on dignity, self-determination and respectful treatment of personal experiences. Overall, the activities helped to strengthen spaces for encounters, youth networks and everyday dialog formats.