Valuable lessons to learn now from the Sudan conflict
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
Sudan would have been long forgotten by the so-called civilized world had it not been for the conflict in Darfur. Sometime back, while participating in a conference overseas, I had the opportunity to meet with a western professor recruited by the United Nations to help in the conflict resolution in Darfur. The professor, an expert on Sudanese affairs, was at a complete loss, "The people fighting in Darfur are all Muslims, belonging to one and the same sect." Continue reading...

Time for the moderates to get off the fence
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
Sam Harris, the author of The End of Faith, warns us against the moderates, and I totally agree with him. The moderates live in a state of limbo. They are neither here nor there. They have problems deciding what is right and what is not.
Look at the moderates in our own country. They are part of the good-for-nothing “silent majority”. On a recent radio program, senior lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution regretted their indifference towards the current state of affairs. Continue reading...

Sufi solutions to world problems
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
This was the title of my paper prepared for the Conference on Sufi Movements in Contemporary Islam, held in Singapore on Aug. 14 and 15, 2008, under the auspices of the National University of Singapore and the independent Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Along with the writer, Indonesia was represented by Prof. Azyumardi Azra, one of our prominent scholars. The organizers clearly took great pains to ensure that all the five continents were represented by scholars, professors and renowned thinkers of world. Continue reading...

The Jakarta Post, August 2, 2008

Indonesia's independence: An unfinished business
by Anand Krishna,  Jakarta
Recently I was invited to speak on "Indonesia's Independence and Its Relevance Today". The theme made no sense to me. The line did not sound right. The relevance of Indonesia's independence is the freedom you and I are enjoying today. "But," one of the organizers argued, "not all of us are prosperous. Not all of us are enjoying the fruits of the so-called independence. Equality is still a far cry away, so is justice."
So the question was not about the relevance of Indonesia's independence and freedom. The question was of prosperity, equality and justice for all. These are purely economic and social issues. Independence is altogether a different issue. Slaves could be prosperous and enjoy their slavery without bothering about independence and freedom.  Continue reading...

What's in a name?
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
There are people who think and feel little about the name given them by their parents, and there are others who hold their names in high esteem. To "what's in a name", some would argue that, "it's my name at stake".
There are people who name their children following the latest trend. No wonder there are so many Toms, Dicks and Harrys among us. At the same time, there are parents who meditate deeply before naming their children.
Continue reading...

Get well soon, FPI and other parties
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
June 1, 2008, will be remembered as a black day in the history of Indonesian democracy. A group of people from different walks of life -- Balinese Hindus, Javanese Catholics, Sumatran Protestants, Buddhists and Confucianists from Celebes and Muslims from all over Indonesia were beaten up by radicals. The complete article...

How to save the nation
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
In the special National Awakening Day issue of this paper (May 19), Perbanas director Harinowo challenged us to ask whether our souls and our beings were still capable of "dreaming", while India, China and even Brazil are already realizing their dreams. Harinowo is an economist, and he knows well where we and this nation stand on this point.
On Wednesday, this newspaper quoted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as complaining that he had several sleepless nights in the last several weeks before he eventually announced the fuel prices hike.  This is a real tragedy.   The complete article...

Indonesian awakening still in the making
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
"Indonesia is still in the process of becoming," said a rector of a reputable national university in Jakarta last month. Hundreds of students from several universities in and around Jakarta sat mesmerized by his fine oratory and body movements, hearing him speaking without understanding just what he meant. The meeting facilitated by an NGO took place just 5 weeks before the 100th celebration of National Awakening Day on May 20.
I tried to understand his meaning; but which Indone-sia was he referring to? Was he referring to the Indone-sian state proclaimed on Aug. 17, 1945?  The complete article...

Ayat-Ayat Cinta, Ahmadiyah and Pancasila
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
The phenomenal success of both the movie and the book Ayat-Ayat Cinta (AAC) is a reflection of our social conditioning and aspirations. What is interesting is that AAC has been able to dilute the "differences" in such conditioning and aspirations to the extent of being unrecognizable. The movie and the book have been equally appreciated by our President, our clergy and normal people. The question is, do we need a book or a movie like AAC to unite us? If we do, then we have some very serious problems here….
The complete article...

Pluralism is not a solution; think altruism, volunteerism
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
"Pluralism is a ground fact here, so we have to accept it," says a politician whose party has a set of religious dogmas and doctrines as its guiding principles.
"Pluralism is against our beliefs," says a clergyman who represents the very same religious beliefs, dogmas and doctrines.
The politician may sound more tolerant and moderate than the clergyman, but actually both are saying the same thing. The politician does not appreciate pluralism, he only accepts it -- in his words he "respects" it -- because it is a fact here. This country is a pluralist country. This nation is pluralist, so he has to accept it. Tolerance is never effortless. Tolerance can never be genuine and sincere....
The complete article...

Uncivilized persecution in a 'civilized' world
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
It is frustrating and disheartening to see how we, the so-called "civilized" citizens of this "civilized" world, can still behave in a most uncivilized manner. The murder of Madi of Selena -- a small village in Palu, Central Sulawesi -- bears witness to the animal instincts within us. The animal within us knows only one language; that of survival. It does not know love, nor does it speak the language of compassion.
Back in 2005, our distinguished religious affairs minister declared Madi and the people who believed in his teachings were "deviant". This was of course endorsed by one of our equally distinguished religious institutions. The reason why he was declared thus, is simple: He did not comply with the teachings of "a religion" as understood and enforced by the said institution. The complete article...

Indonesia's stand on Wilders' 'Fitna'
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
We were all relieved by the statement made by our President on Geert Wilder's film Fitna, which he said had the potential to disrupt harmony in society (The Jakarta Post, April 1, 2008). Well done, Bapak President -- we salute you for your timely decision and prompt action. Let us hope that in days to come, the President will also take a similar timely stand and measures on other issues which not only have the potential to disrupt harmony but to disintegrate our society.
Take the issue of the sermon of our elderly cleric Abu Bakar Baa'syir on Oct. 22 last year, captured on videotape by Darwin-based political science PhD student Nathan Franklin, who was conducting research at Islamic boarding schools in East Java. The complete article...

Indonesia, Tibet and the secret of 'terima kasih'
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
I first met His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1996. Accompanying me was a parliamentarian and two other friends. We were fortunate enough to have a private audience with him. When I said we were from Indonesia, he immediately reacted: "Oh yes, yes, yes ... Indonesia .... Tibet has very strong relations, strong ties with Indonesia."
"Atisha, was a monk from India. He went to Indonesia to learn from the Indonesian master," he said.
Fortunately, I knew the story.
Indeed, not many Indonesians remember we used to be a treasure house of wisdom. We did not import spirituality from India; indeed, even the Indian pundits came to our archipelago to learn from our indigenous masters.
The complete article...

Indonesia must choose either to stay or to progress
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
One may ask, "Are we progressing now?"
It depends on how we define the word "progress". It depends on what kind of yardstick we use to measure our progress. If we use the number of super malls, skyscrapers, luxurious housing and shopping complexes as the major yardstick - then yes, we are progressing.
But if we use the overall welfare of people as the yardstick, then we are not progressing at all. It is really hard for our officials to digest the fact that their statistics on the number of people still living below the poverty line may not be correct. The complete article...

Is it truly Asia or sharia? Lessons from neighboring Malaysia
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
Several months back I wrote that Malaysia could no longer justify its use of the slogan "Truly Asia". This view is now confirmed by the latest events there. Forget representing Asia, the Malaysian government today is unable even to represent its diverse society in its entirety. The uprising of the Tamil minority is but the tip of the iceberg. Underneath awaits a huge chunk of crystallized dissatisfaction and disappointment, which could result in the disintegration of Malaysian society.
The complete article...

Pakistan's darkest hour
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
The assassination of Benazir Bhutto should convince us all that the radicals in Pakistan are very much alive and active. And, this is bad news for us, for Indonesia. We must not forget that all our radicals, hardliners and the so called fundamentalists have had Pakistani connection in one way or the other.
We have, in the past, closed our eyes to such connections. Now, we can no longer afford that. The assassination of Benazir Bhutto must be taken as a clear warning to our government, "What happened in Pakistan could happen here too!"
The complete article...

REDD – A Solution or Just Another Project?
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
To Al Gore, Global Warming is definitely not a political, but a Moral Issue. To someone like Emil Salim, this need to be addressed seriously and intelligently….. But, alas, Al Gore is too far away from us, and unfortunately Emil Salim is just a thin voice in the wilderness.
The complete article...

CALIFORNIA, O MY CALIFORNIA! – by Anand Krishna
“Jewel of the United States of America, nay, of Americas” – that was the thought that came to my mind as I left Los Angeles’ International Airport driving through Malibu on my way to Ojai…. I saw and felt in California, in the beautiful valley of Ojai and the Santa Barbara Riviera – the presence of Higher Spiritual Energies. In some I saw it fully manifest, in others manifesting. Beautiful! But, just a month later, a month after I left Los Angeles – I hear about the devastating fires in Malibu…..
The complete article...

Humanity challenged in junta-ruled Myanmar
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
Conflicts, battles and wars have been an inseparable part of our history. But in the past, the division between those who were good and those who were bad was clear. At times, the bad won, and they tried to manipulate history. But such ventures could never go far. Corrections were made and history was rewritten. There were times when justice was delayed, but it was never denied.
The complete article...

The United States government announced today that Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Indonesia meets international aviation security standards. This decision is based on Transportation Security Administration (TSA) assessments. Detail...

Climate change and its impact on all of us
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
What can I do about climate change and the global warming caused by such change? What can anyone do about it? And, yet here I am in the U.S., attending the conference. Indeed, the very theme of the conference held at the UN headquarters in New York from Sept. 5-7 was: Climate change and how it impacts us all.
The complete article...

Press Conference - Climate Change: How It Impacts Us All

A press conference was held in the Governor Office of Bali to discuss about the results of UNDPI conference as well as the petition and declaration of California-Bali Friendship Association. Detail...

The Jakarta Post, September 24, 2007

Message of peace passed on at country's borders

To commemorate International Day of Peace on Friday, activists from the Anand Ashram Foundation distributed roses to passengers arriving at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang.

Activists from the Soul Awakening Forum (FKJ) and the National Integration Movement (NIM) carried out similar activities at Adi Sucipto Airport in Yogyakarta and Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali.

The activists wore t-shirts reading, "Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Confucian followers, black, yellow, slanted eyes, curly hair. Whatever your religion and race are, whoever you are, we love you. One earth, one sky, one humankind".

60^th Annual DPI/NGO Conference Declaration: Climate Change Threats - An NGO Framework for Action.
Final declaration ...

The Jakarta Post, August 15, 2007

Ancient lessons to help us fight climate change
by Anand Krishna, Jakarta
The complete article...