Jottings in Jakarta

It was a public holiday in the country when we landed, though we did encounter heavy traffic on our way to the hotel. We soon learnt that the holiday was meant to celebrate the birth, nirvana and death of Buddha. The day was timed with the full moon in the month of Vesaka. And yes, we noticed a fair number of women driving scooters.
So, what do you think is the country I am talking about? Well, I spent much of this week in the largest Muslim country in the world – Indonesia. The occasion was the regional consultation on ‘Expression, Opinion and Religious Freedoms in Asia’ held in Jakarta. With so many social activists and human rights defenders from mainly the South East Asian and South Asian countries – about 150 of them – the encounter was bound to be overwhelming.
Since Pakistan was born as the largest Muslim country, and is now the only Muslim country with nuclear capability, we do feel that we stand out in the Muslim world and have a large role to play. But travelling with a Pakistani passport normally conveys a different message.
I had to acquire my visa from the Indonesian consulate in Karachi and the drill was somewhat eased by my contacts as a journalist. But the visa letter sent by the organisers of the conference carried information that while citizens of 12 countries may acquire free visa for short visits, citizens of as many as 64 countries may apply for a visa on arrival. Obviously, Pakistan is not on this list.
Anyway, I was particularly excited about visiting Jakarta for almost five days because I wanted to have some idea of the changes that may be taking place in a Muslim society that is so different in its character and historical experience. We have a little better sense of what Malaysia is but Indonesia remains unexplored in many ways.
For me, the point of reference was the turmoil that has engulfed a large part of the Muslim world, particularly in the Middle East. Besides, culture – as distinguished from religion – is seen to play a large part in shaping society. Does that mean that Indonesia, in spite of being a Muslim country, would be moving in a different direction than, say, Pakistan or Syria?
I neither had the time nor the expertise to explore these matters. Still, I was anxious to form an image of the present Indonesian society in the mirror of what I could see and experience in Jakarta. In a proverbial sense, my journey began with the surprise that I have presented at the outset. Here is a Muslim country that celebrates the birth of Buddha with a public holiday.
However, further probing indicated that this could be a bit deceptive. I must admit that I did not have much time to move around and meet people. Linguistic barrier is also formidable. But there were still some opportunities to share thoughts with some local people and roam around the city.
Jakarta is surely a modern city and one leading shopping mall that I visited with some friends from the conference certified its global stature. Women seemed emancipated. There was a sense of freedom that is also reflected in open consumption of alcohol in eating places. Traffic is maddening but no one honks and there is an air civility all around. Another world it is for someone who lives in Pakistan.
One measure for me of a safe city is where a woman can walk alone on the street after sunset. I found that evidence in downtown Jakarta, though they said that all areas are not so safe. I was not able to visit bookshops or meet a writer or a social critic. However, I was encouraged by the news that Indonesia would be the guest of honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair – the largest book fair in the world – in October this year.
These observations may tempt you to suggest that Indonesia is not going the way of other Muslim countries where conservative forces are on the rise. Malaysia in the geographical neighbourhood has shown signs of social regression. Sadly, there are intimations of the same process taking roots in Indonesia.
We were informed by a number of Indonesians we met in the conference that Wahabi influence was slowly spreading in society and the number of women wearing the hijab was increasing. “Our society was more open five years ago than it is now”, said a young woman who is a working person.
Incidentally, religion’s place in a society in the context of tolerance and discrimination was the central issue at the Jakarta conference. The focus was not on Muslim countries but examples from specific countries underlined many aspects of extremism and militancy that are dominant in many Muslim countries.
Pakistan was partly on the agenda. One reason was the presence of around 20 Pakistani participants. A number of them, though, were functionaries of the Islamabad-based NGO Bytes for All that works for human rights in the digital sphere. Bytes for All was one of the sponsors of the conference. In addition, the situation in Pakistan is bound to have some relevance to a discourse on finding strategies to combat religious intolerance.
The event was also meant to facilitate dialogue between human rights defenders, digital rights activists and civil society organisations with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression. A major concern in this respect was to redefine the issues of freedom of expression and freedom of religion. How do you deal with hate speech and with incitement to violence in the name of religion?
Asia, as the concept note of the conference emphasised, is home to diverse cultures, religions and tribal customs. These differences are often used to create divisions and discriminations. There is oppression and restrictions on fundamental human rights. Freedom of expression is under siege in most of Asia when seen in the context of religious sensitivities.
We had extensive discussions on a wide range of issues related to freedom of expression and religious freedoms in Asia. In an interesting exercise, delegates from some countries mapped intolerance in their own countries. Pakistan was one of them.
In many other respects, too, Pakistan is a country to be closely watched. Given the present campaign against terrorism and extremism, is it possible for Pakistan to turn the tide that has inundated the Muslim world? Can we rid our society of militancy, intolerance and fanaticism? We will know when we can get ‘visa on arrival’ in a large number of countries.
The writer is a staff member.
Email: ghazi_salahuddin@hotmail.com