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February 2002
Dear Family and Friends,
It is exciting to live in Europe and experience the beauty of
Amsterdam. Nevertheless, our hearts remain in Indonesia. Our "Interpretation
Assignment" with PC(USA) finished on January 1, 2002, and
we are now on a new contract to teach at Duta Wacana Christian
University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Duta Wacana and PC(USA) graciously
granted this semester as sabbatical time for me to write a book
and accompany Farsijana, who is in the last stages of her Ph.D.
at University of Amsterdam. I was appointed Fellow at the International
Institute for Asian Studies and am enjoying the marvelous library
facilities of the Netherlands.
Last semester I taught a course on ethics and multiculturalism
at the Catholic University of Nijmegen. Nijmegen and the Free
University of Amsterdam participate with Duta Wacana in exchange
of faculty and students. My students there are Christian leaders
from Armenia, Congo, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Netherlands, Philippines,
Poland, Russia, Tanzania, Uganda, U.S., Zaire, and Zimbabwe. What
a learning experience for all of us! Every one of these countries
is multicultural and must deal with conflicts between different
cultural, ethnic, and religious groups.
The latest, tentative title of the book I’m writing is "Religion,
Power and Terror in Indonesia." Perhaps that reflects the
influence of September 11. Indonesia is accused of being a nesting
place for Al Qaeda-linked extremist groups. However I do not believe
that terrorists are the primary cause of violence in Indonesia.
Nor is violence as widespread as you might think from reading
the papers. Most Indonesians hate violence. Nevertheless, a political
power-vacuum, rapid social change, and the extreme economic crisis
have bred a very serious situation in this lovely country. I hope
my research and writing will contribute to the Indonesian and
international dialogue about what is going on. Meanwhile, Farsijana
is writing her dissertation about ritual and negotiation in the
context of religious violence in the North Moluccas. So, even
though we walk the streets of this ancient, beautiful, European
city, our thoughts and hearts reach out continually to Indonesia.
On January 23 we flew to Indonesia for a visit. For Farsijana,
it was a long planned trip to revisit Halmahera in North Moluccas
and see what has happened among the people who were involved in
the war. She especially wanted to see how efforts at reconciliation
have progressed and meet the people of the Muslim village where
she did her research. My reasons for going were more prosaic.
My "Exit-Re-entry Permit" expired and I had to get a
new one, or lose my Indonesian visa. I spent just a week in Yogyakarta
before returning.
We stayed a couple days in Jakarta, where we saw firsthand the
devastating floods, which have paralyzed the city for the last
couple weeks. In some areas, 15-foot high floodwaters swept away
whole houses. My mother-in-law’s house was fortunate to have
received less than a foot of muddy floodwater. We put our suitcases
on the bed and joined with the family in praising God for his
loving kindness to them in the midst of flooding. To American
eyes it might seem a strange thing to do, but for that family,
prayer and thanksgiving are as natural and necessary as breathing.
It was wonderful to be back in Yogyakarta. We visited all our
neighbors in the village and heard all the local gossip. It was
especially good to have a long talk with the head of our neighborhood
who is also a leader at the local mosque. He was fascinated by
our stories and even suggested that I give some lectures at the
mosque when I return! Since then, we have begun an intense correspondence
by e-mail. It is amazing to share with each other our differing
perceptions about terrorism, Islam, the will of God, and the relation
between poor nations and the United States. In his last letter
he writes, "God judges us, not by the quantity, but by the
quality of our efforts: by how we strive to establish truth and
defend it with patience and consistency. What is the use of subjugating
many people, based on a foundation that is rotten. God only judges
our efforts, (not our success)." (My translation from Indonesian.)
While in Yogya, I went to my office on campus every day for a
week and managed to fit in faculty meetings, counseling of students,
and consultations with most of my colleagues. After only two days,
Farsijana flew on to Manado (N. Sulawesi), and then on to Ternate.
In Ternate, the capital of N. Moluccas, she stayed with a prominent
Muslim family and heard many stories about what has occurred since
war broke out. Before leaving she met with a Muslim youth group
with whom she hopes to continue communication. From Ternate she
took a speedboat to Halmahera. There she chose to stay with Christian
refugees, rather than church leaders. The Christian family with
whom she stayed has close links to the Muslim community through
kinship ties. This made it easier to return to the village of
her research. She had a tearful reunion with the Muslim family
with whom she lived and with many other villagers.
They are all staying in barracks, since their village was burned
to the ground. During the violence, her Muslim "family"
was put on trial by the Muslim Jihad for harboring a Christian
leader. Fortunately, they were able to show the official government
paperwork proving that she was an academic researcher, rather
than a church official. They were released unharmed.
I was delighted when Farsijana returned safely to Amsterdam.
We are now buckling down to the hard work of writing. It is lonely
work and difficult. But with God’s grace, we hope to produce
something that will contribute to the struggle for peace and justice
in Indonesia. We deeply appreciate your letters and prayers.
Warm greetings,
Bernard and Farsijana Adeney-Risakotta
The 2001 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 159
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