Suherdjoko, Semarang, Central Java – Professors and academicians from various universities in Central Java announced on Wednesday their fight against radicalism and intolerance.
They made a petition entitled "Although we are different, we are still sisters and brothers".
Imam Taufiq, an academician from the Walisongo Islamic State University (UIN) Semarang, Central Java, read out the petition in a gathering at the Wisma Perdamaian (Mansion of Peace). The petition was made amid rising intolerance in the country.
The spirit of living a shared life based on diversity and nationalism – a key principle of the nation's founding fathers – is now facing serious challenges, it states.
The rise of identity politics that prioritizes the interests of certain groups and a shortage of dialogue among different groups has made Indonesia segregated. This will eventually break bonds of friendship and solidarity among the children of the nation, it says.
The petition asserts the Pancasila as the state ideology, hence all elements of society shared the responsibility of guarding it. A commitment to nationalism should be put forward by academicians through universities, says the petition.
Academicians from universities such as Diponegoro University (Undip) Semarang, Jenderal Soedirman University (Unsoed) Purwokerto and the Satya Wacana Christian University (UKSW) Salatiga attended the event. (ebf)