Jakarta, NU Online
Alumni of the Indonesian Muslim Students Movement (PMII) of the Indonesian University (PMII UI) held a meeting to take up issues on violence committed by certain social organizations at the university's Student Center NU Makara, Depok, West Java on Saturday (13/4). <>


Sukma Widyanti, lecturer in the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) said, a number of violent acts particularly against minorities in the country had been a growing concern so that "we need to review the definition of majority and minority."


According to Sukma, both majority and minority are not about the membership but rather on the relationship between the two.

"If there is one group carrying out a repression against other groups, the group carrying out the repression could be called as the majority," he said.

Sukma also added that civil society elements could not fully hope the government will be protector of minorities. The elements should also educate and empower the grassroots in order to realize the importance of tolerance and mutual respect for any possible differences and the desire to live peacefully.

"The case in Cikeusik, Sampang and other regions proves that tolerance among the elites is not followed by their followers at the grassroots," Sukma who is also Secretary General of Indonesian Movement said.

As reported the clash between villagers and Ahmadiyah followers in Cikeusik, Pandeglang, on February 6, 2011 left three Ahmadiyah followers dead and some others wounded.

Another case is an attack on a Shiite community in Sampang, East Java, which saw several houses burned and hundreds of Shiite followers displaced.

Editor: Sudarto Murtaufiq