Interreligious Dialogue Netherlands – Indonesia
With the theme ‘Diversity, Democracy and Dialogue’, the 5th Interfaith Dialogue started off as collaboration with the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague, NICMCR and the Radboud University Nijmegen.
Why this theme? Religious diversity and extremism are societal challenges both in the Netherlands and in Indonesia. In three sessions, Muslims and Christians, scholars and policy makers from the Netherlands and Indonesia, reflected on how both countries can build democratic and inclusive societies through dialogue and what they can learn from each other in this respect. They talked about Inclusive Education as a means to counteract radicalization, they spoke of peaceful co-existence and the place of religion in modern societies of the Netherlands and Indonesia.
From Indonesia, a delegation of the Islamic State Institute Ambon, the Moluccas Christian University of Indonesia and the Protestant Christian State Seminary Ambon came to attend this important event. After the severe conflicts in Ambon in 1999, the people of the Moluccas have learned to build an inclusive society. Now we see that Ambon is an explicit example of peace. Also the rather conservative Islamic State Institution Ambon, has now altered the scene with a more moderate and pluralistic leadership. Other invitees from Indonesia came from, the Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies of the Gajah Mada University, Yogyakarta, the Christian University Duta Wacana, Yogyakarta and the NGO Peace Generation. From The Netherlands The Vrije Universiteit, Stichting Islam Kennis Centrum, The Evangelical Moluccan Church and Indonesian PhD students were involved.
This same theme is also at the heart of an application for the Horizon 2020 program of the European Union.
The evening was concluded by a closing speech of the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia in the Netherlands.
