The 8th Interfaith Dialogue
“Decolonizing Religion”
Duta Wacana Christian University (UKDW)
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
22 June 2023, 08.00 – 15.30 WIB / 03.00 – 10.30 CEST
NICMCR held its first webinar on decolonization in December 2021. The topic was chosen to contribute to the international debate as well as bring together perspectives from Indonesia and the Netherlands for a better understanding of a shared history. The debate continued in June 2022, with the organization of the 7th Interfaith Dialogue, this time exploring the Indonesian-Dutch framework. The 8th Interfaith Dialogue actually builds on these conferences by taking up the theme in relation to the very backbone of our network.
Decolonization means recognizing the impact of colonialism and repairing the harm caused in the past. This also goes for the impact of increasing coloniality, by which we mean the lingering legacy of colonial powers and colonial behavior in present day life. The intense renewed and reopened discussion on the slavery in the past, for instance in the Netherlands and Britain, are evidence of this recognition in the former colonizing countries.
Through decolonizing religion, we support a more critical awareness of privilege and power of Western religions in the process of colonialism. In turn, this awareness leads to recognition of the ways in which colonialism and coloniality continue to shape our world today and persist at various interfaces such as gender, educational systems, theology and indigenous religions.
Reclaiming Indigenous religions challenges the dominance of Western interpretations of religion and recognizes the significance of indigenous spiritual traditions. At the same time, this recognition implies how Western colonial powers influenced the development of Islamic thought by, among other things, portraying it as an ideology of violence. Decolonizing Islam therefore has the potential to create a more just and equitable world.
The 8th Interfaith Dialogue hopes to identify injustices and thereby bring about justice for all, in all aspects of life, a call for humanity regardless of race, gender, social status or religion.
Attached here is the flyer of the event, information and programme.
We look forward to seeing you in Yogyakarta!
Registration: to register for this event, please click on the following link: http://bit.ly/8thinterfaithdialogue. The registration deadline is June 16th, 2023 or if we have met the quota of 100 participants, so please make sure to complete your registration before that date.
Once you have completed your registration, please send the payment receipt to interfaith8th@gmail.com or by message to our Contact Persons (Eka +62 856 4028 8845 or Neles +62 821 1131 4421) so that we can confirm your registration.