Virus of Hatred

The government, through the Religious Affairs Ministry, is currently actively encouraging religious moderation, which is one of the important national issues in the 2020-2024 National Mid-Term Development Plan.

Kompas/Wawan H Prabowo

A mural containing an invitation to tolerance on Jalan Satria, Jelambar, Grogol Petamburan, West Jakarta, Sunday (14/2/2021).

This nation has all the potential to become great and triumphant, both through the wealth and diversity of its nature and the strength of its people. However, this nation also has the potential to follow in the footsteps of Syria and Afghanistan, which continue to be in clashes and be ravaged, if bad incidents such as those in Sintang, West Kalimantan, on 3 Sept. 2021, are not stopped. A group carrying religious flags vandalized the place of worship of a religious minority group and set fire to a warehouse located next to it. Their accusation was that the group was deviant and disturbing the community.

Since the government announced the pandemic on 5 March 2020, there has been a series of discriminatory acts against those with different faiths.