In Indonesia - Cleaning Places of Worship, Cleaning Your Soul SLUG: Indonesia Berhati Date: 05/11/2013 Reporter: Danu Mahardika

INTRO Indonesia is often praised for its religious tolerance and diversity. But recent developments reveal a darker side of Indonesian society.... with churches being banned and minority groups attacked. A group of young people in Jakarta is trying to do their part to change the situation. Danu Mahardika follows the group as they clean up various places of worship in the capital, Jakarta. TEXT SFX vihara Here at a Buddhist temple, or Vihara, in West Jakarta, some monks are praying in front of the altar. In the corner theres a giant statue of Buddha surrounded by red candles. Recently, a group of young people visited the areaon a mission to clean up the Vihara. The group is called Berhati an Indonesian acronym which translates as cleaning up places of worship, cleaning your soul. 23-year-old Agustinus Ardi Widiatmoko is the groups leader. Ardi clip 1 (Male, Indonesia): We tell the staff at each place of worship that we dont want anything from them in return. Were not a social organisation, we cannot donate anything... but we want to clean the place. Its simple: we come, clean, then go home. Vihara head, Yusak Li Saputra, was surprised when the group arrived. Yusak clip 1 (Male, Indonesia): We just gave them some snacks and drinks and they immediately started working. Even if we hadnt given them anything, they wouldve done it anyway. So I decided to give them some snacks, our kitchen staff made them quickly. I said to them, thank you so much for this. They said they were happy to be welcomed so warmly here. We dont have many cleaning staff, and all of them are women... they cant climb up high like they did.

But thats not what impressed Yusak the most. Yusak clip 2 (Male, Indonesia): Not all of them are Buddhist. Some of them are Muslims. Theres a mix of people. They have taught us to respect each others place of worship. And they are not religious fanatics they just came here and cleaned up. The Berhati Community doesnt just clean up Viharas. They also visit mosques, Hindu temples and churches like the Cathedral, the oldest and largest Catholic Church in the capital. Resti Nainggolan, a member of the church staff, still has the gift which was given to her by the group after they cleaned up the place. Resti clip 1 (Female, Indonesia): They gave us some t-shirts with the Berhati logo on the front. I asked them, why are you giving us gifts like thisyouve already cleaned the place? Then they said, its a gift, nothing more. No hidden agendas. 22-year-old university student, Stephani Yuliana, joined the community three months ago. Since then, she regularly joins the clean ups in different places of worship. Yuliana clip 1 (Female, Indonesia): For me the group has a strong element of tolerance and togetherness. This group is universal, youre not here because of your ethinicity or religion. Thats why I join here. And we can also cleanse our soul by cleaning up places of worship. The community was formed last year. And so far they have cleaned up more than 150 places of worship in Jakarta and the surrounding area. They have 80 members now, says the community coordinator, Ardi. Ardi clip 2 (Male, Indonesia): We sometimes get new members on the spot... where they join us while were cleaning up their place of worship. Thats great. Some of them even ask us to let them know of any upcoming cleaning events. We, the young generation, are willing to help. There are many mosques and churches here that need our attention. One such on the spot recruit, is 23-year-old Anugrah Pandu Satrio who works in an ad agency. Pandu clip 1 (Male, Indonesia): There was a cleaning event in a mosque, near my house. I was curious what were they doing? Then I found out that it was a community that cleans up houses of worship. I joined them and asked some questions and became very interested in their mission. Every two weeks they go out to a different house of worship and start cleaning.

Ardi clip 3 (Male, Indonesia): We split up. Muslims can clean churches, while Catholics can clean Hindu temples. We dont decide which house of worship to clean based on peoples religion. We mix it up. We want to show how we can be tolerant of each others religions. We want to set an example for others. But things arent always easy for them... Ardi clip 4 (Male, Indonesia): Some people ask us which party or company we are from? We understand that they might be afraid that there will be consequences in the future. But we stay positive. If they dont accept us, then we look for other places. Whats important is that weve offered to clean the place, its their decision to accept us or not. We appreciate that. This year Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, received the World Statesman Award for promoting religious freedom. But the reality is, there have been cases recently of churches being banned and attacks on minority groups. Many say the country is failing to protect peoples religious freedoms. But for Pandu, the Berhati Community has been a real eye-opener. Pandu clip 2 (Male, Indonesia): Im a Muslim, I went to Islamic schools, I also went to an Islamic university. But with this community, Ive learnt not to see people based on their religion or ethnicity. I was once asked, where do you originally come from? I just said yes to wherever they guessed, although in fact I wasnt. I just want to say that Im an Indonesian. Resti Nainggolan says simple actions like these can help to restore religious harmony in Indonesia. Resti clip 2 (Female, Indonesia): We need to encourage tolerance with small steps. This way we dont have to feel awkward about entering other peoples house of worship. We have to get rid of negative perceptions between religions. When we encourage religious tolerance from an early age, the outcome will be better for the future. This feature is produced by Danu Mahardika for Asia Calling.