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PEOPLE AND RELIGION OF LOMBOK INDONESIA

Lombok (4,764 square km) is an island lies to the East of Bali (20-minute to fly), separated by a narrow deep Lombok Strait, inhabited by approximately 3 million people, home to the exciting cultural diversity and natural beauty, a contrast to Bali.

The civilization and the culture of Lombok are formed by people with different religions (Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Bodha, and Buddhism). Religion is a personal identity and a pride in Indonesia whatever the religion is. Islam as religion for the majority of Lombok's people does involve in the tourism activity based on religious acceptance and religous cultural respect between the visitors and the hosts. It's paralyzed if visitors force the Muslim and the local people of the island to accept their habits without a positive will to consider to respect the cultural and customary standard of Lombok, such as clothing habit, and human relation especially between the man and the woman in public, such as kissing and holding each other's hand which are strictly prohibited, and worst seen. Tourism is also a mean to know each other and to raise the solidarity. Islam suggests us to travel, to see the traces of the past in order to learn them as references. So shortly Islam is not bad for tourism.

ISLAM
Terminology
Islam
Islam is the name of the religion that was born in 640 in the Arabian Peninsular. Islam means  PEACE.

Moslem
Muslem is a  person that considered himself to be in Islam. The quality of the Muslems vary depending on their experience with Islam, that will finally determine the practices daily. One of the many ways to understand Islam is by learning.

An Illustration
To be able to distinguish between Islam and Muslim, it is best to understand the following illustration.
Islam      =  School of English Teacher 
Moslem  =  Student
In the School of English Teacher , the institution sets the learning packages with certain learning outcomes  to be passed within fourteen semesters. During the study, the students do not have the same score of every learning package. This will finally effect the knowledge, the capabilities, and the skills when they have finished their study, and then work as teachers. If an English teacher failed to teach, it does not mean that the School of English Teacher taught him how to be an uncessful teacher.
We understand Islam and Muslim through the same way; however in Islam, a  Muslem must practice a long-life learning concept.

The History of Islam in Lombok
Prior to the arrival of Islam, Lombok was the island based on the life philosophy of Hinduism–Buddhism under the rule of  the Majapahit   Kingdom , the biggest Hindu Kingdom in the archipelago (1293 – 1478). Islam was introduced in northen Lombok by Sunan Prapen, the son of Sunan Giri, a Saint  from Java in the end of 14^th century and in the beginning of the 15th century. Since then Islam has been spreading and developing in Lombok peacefully as well as  under the colonial governments’ pressure amongst the inhabitants whose still condemned themselves strongly into the Hinduism-Buddhism life philosophy, that inevitably  forms some  variants of Moslem.  Those variants are :
Normal  Moslem
The Normal Muslem is formed by  the Normal Islam, or is often said as The Muslem  Waktu  Lima – Sunni Muslem. This Sunni Muslem is grouped into two :
Santri  Moslem – Clerical  Central Figure
The Santri  Muslem comes from and formed by the Islamic Boarding School (Pesantren) teachings that  intensively enlighten Lombok  with religious, heroic, economy, politic, and general knowledge  since  the few Lombok ’s people returned from the Hajj Pilgrimage. That was the beginning of the national awakening in Lombok .
During the colonial governments occupation (Balinese Hinduism – 150 years  and  the Dutch – 50 years), education was largely banned, and politically oppressed. From this period untill 1940, Lombok had only 11 primary schools and one middle school, whereas Indonesia in general had only three universities institutions. The Santri Muslems are  emotionally related to their clerical leaders  as the central figures  (Tuan Guru) in life. Their political aspirations are channeled by their Tuan Guru to the directed existing Indonesia n political parties for best  options to the state, and to their people. Once a month at least,  Tuan Guru delivers a public religious enlightenment speech (known to the locals as Pengajian) to their people whilst raising fund for their  community development projects. The biggest Santri Muslem Organization in Lombok is Nahdhatul Wathan with the headquarter in East Lombok . This organization organizes thousands of education institutions starting from kindergarten to universities since 1925 as a response to the lack of schools and poor education quality  in Lombok .

NOTE
Non-Muslem is welcomed to attend their religious enlightenment  programmes for introductory experience. All visitor will be escorted.  Please consult us !

Non-Santri Moslem  (No Clerical Central Figure)
Non-Santri Muslem is the Muslem who was educated in Modern Islamic Boarding Schools  (Pesantren), or in others, or the non-formally educated Muslem. This type of Muslem does not have clerical central figures   that  relate emotionally with them. Their  political aspirations are independently organized by them  to the existing Indonesia 's political parties  of their choice. The biggest organization of this non-Santri Muslem in Lombok is Muhammadyah with the headquarter in Mataram, the capital city of Lombok .
NOTE
Non-Muslem is welcomed to attend their religious enlightenment  programmes for introductory experience or for discussion in Religion Comparative Study . All visitor will be escorted.  Please consult us  ! 

Traditional Moslem (Moslem Metu Telu)
It is often said as the Islam Metu Telu. This group constitutes  the first Moslem in Lombok  since the end of the 14^th century, living mostly in the mountains around the said-sacred Mount Rinjani , and in the remote areas of  central and southern Lombok . It seems that the process of  Dakwah/Islamic Teaching  finished at this period.
There is no distinctive principle confession of Islam (Syahadatain)  between the Moslem Metu Telu andthe Moslem  Waktu Lima; however the Moslem Metu Telu still strongly practices the genuine traditional religion rites which ressemble to the Hinduism rites, such as :
* Maintaining  the existence of the Holly Shrine (Pedewag) – the place to worship and to put the offerings
* Maintaining  the funtion of the mediator (Pemangku) in relating to Allah – God Al-Mighty
Pemangku (Mediator) will pray for his people, therefore his people are free from religious obligations. During Ramadhan, his people may not do the Ramadhan when he/she is invited to a fiesta,  works in the rice fields, or  does other physical activities. The Pemangku/Mediator will do the Ramadhan for his people as long as he is informed before. In exchange of this, he/she has to pay a charity in form of the harvest. If they do the Ramadhan,  they tend to take  only three days; one day in the beginning, one day in the middle, and one day in the end. The Moslem Metu Telu keeps the traditions  strongly, and this had been supported by the Dutch Colonial Government as in 1920 the Moslem Metu Telu set up a political movement to maintain and to develop their believes. The daily appearances of the Muslem Metu Telu  look very humble, economically and intellectually they are under-developed because whatever they will do they have to ask the opinion, consideration and the decision of the mediator. Whatever the decision is, they have to obey. They may not breach the existing system, otherwise they have to be out of the Moslem Metu Telu community. During the colonial government, this group was the beloved people in Lombok , because they had tolerated the Dutch occupation.  Fighting or refusing the King was a crime. The King (The Dutch Government) was the center of the universe that had to be respected.  

CHRISTIANITY

History
Christianity was firstly introduced  by the Dutch Colonial Government in 1895 at the beginning of the Dutch rule in Lombok after the heroic Lombok war in 1884. During the 1^st and 2^nd  world war, one or two local women of Lombok were converted into Christianity following her husbands’ religions. Since the Independence of Indonesia in 1945, they started to come and to live in Lombok . They worked mostly as the middle and high rank officers of the new established Indonesian government. They were either deployed by the central government from Java, North Sulawesi, Flores, and Sumba, or came on their own will to live and to work in Lombok . The arrival of those peoples were really welcomed by the genuine people of  Lombok (the Moslem and the Hindu). 

HINDUISM

History
Hinduism is one of the genuine religions  of  the archipelago since thousands of years. It is noted the biggest Hinduism Kingdom in the archipelago  known as Majapahit  (1293 – 1478) that ruled all the Indonesian Islands today, Papua, Malaysia, and the Philippine. When Islam started to spread in Lombok in the XIV^th century, the people of Lombok converted into the new religion (Islam) not by force but by acculturation. Hinduism that exists in Lombok now is the Hinduism which was brought by the Balinese immigrants in search for  new life in Lombok since the 1600. The immigrants came from the arid  dry regions in East Bali .

BODHA (Local Lombok Buddhism)

History
Bodha, like Hinduism is one of the genuine religions of Indonesia . The Bodha communities live in the remote places  at  the foot of Mount Rinjani . These communities preserve their own culture and tradition. Bodha is not Buddhism, however  with the assistance of the central government, the Bodha Religion has been enriched with the Buddhism elements  since 1970. You can visit the Bodha Community at Dasan Bila Village in North Lombok . 

BUDDHISM / CHINESE  

History
Buddhism started to come to Lombok  in 1830  along with the arrival of the Chinese from China   to work as the low-paid labors in the Dutch companies, and to start their own business in commerce. During the colonial government in Lombok ,  Chinese functioned as mediators between the local producers and the export companies, and then replaced the position of the Dutch export companies whilst continuing the mediating  role.

HOW TO KEEP THE TOLERANCE
In Indonesia , religions are accommodated in the state politic and  taught at all school from primary school to college (SMU) by teacher whose the same religion with the pupils. In Lombok , Friday is a special day for religious teaching. Pupils with the same religion will be grouped in a certain classroom for religious teaching.   Hence, the education of tolerance starts from the primary school.

Religious discussion amongst the pupils is allowed as long as the discussion does not talk about the principle theology concept  OR THE  CONCEPT  OF THE DIVINITY which are exclusive for every religion.  THE CONCEPT OF THE DIVINITY  MAY NOT BE INTERFERED BECAUSE IT IS DIFFERENT FROM ONE RELIGION TO OTHER RELIGION, AND THAT IS THE SOLE DIFFERENCE.  We are to respect this, as this is the only difference between one religion with other religions. If a discussion on religion is needed, the necessasry elements and the rule of engagement must be arranged before by the parties involved.

EXCITING LIVE-IN CULTURAL EXPERIENCE IN INDONESIA
We welcome the world family and the students, and we organize cross culture undersatanding programmes in Lombok and Sumbawa. During the programme which are conducted twice a year along the Indonesian universities compulsory programme, you will have a rare exciting chance to live in a Muslim family, learn the culture and the tradition especialy the tradition of how the children look after the elders. Come and contact us for more detail

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