Jakarta, 2 May (AKI) – Christian theology students in Indonesia are attending a course at a Muslim boarding school to learn more about Islam and pluralism.

In an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI), Abdul Moqsith Ghazali Hari, coordinator of the Islam and pluralism programme at the Wahid Institute, said the course was to designed to establish understanding between Christians and Muslims.

“In this country, those two religions often find themselves in disharmony due to dogmatic differences,” Hari told AKI.

“We encourage the participants to read the Bible, and we also read them the Koran. Interactive communication is the main point of this workshop.”

Hari said the course includes eight meetings, as well as a three-day live-in programme at a pesantren, or Islamic boarding school.

“During their stay at the school, the Christian participants are partnered with Muslim students so they can communicate personally. The students get to see how Muslims live, the Islamic rites, and Islamic traditional culture,” Hari explained.

One of the Christian students, Reverend Ambarsari, who like many Indonesians only has one name, said he enrolled in the course because he was curious.

“I constantly wondered why the Muslim community attacks Christians all the time,” Ambarsari told AKI.

“And the congregation where I serve shares the same curiosity, and encouraged me to take the course.”

The young priest explained that the course had made him understand that there are many types of Muslims. 

“The course made me realise that not all Muslims resort to violence, or view anyone who is not a Muslim as the enemy. I got to see the peaceful Islam, and learned that pesantrens have a significant role in society,” Ambarsari said.

“The course was brilliant - it opened my eyes.”

Ambarsari said he thinks it is highly important that Christian youth learn about Islam and pluralism.

“I believe once we understand pluralism correctly, our minds will open and our faith will grow stronger,” he said.

“People should be open to pluralism and avoid prejudice and self-justification when it comes to religion.”

Most participants are theology students from the Presbyterian Church of Indonesia’s Protestant School of Theology, as well as a few students from the Jesuit-run Driyarkara School of Philosophy.

“The programme is intended for all Christian students, both Protestants and Catholics,” Hari said.

The curriculum is developed by the Wahid Institute, which is a moderate Muslim think-tank founded by former president Abdurrahman Wahid, together with the Crisis Center for the Christian Church of Indonesia, in particular the Presbyterian Church of Indonesia.

With more than 200 million Muslims, Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim country.