Indonesian Youth Build Bridges Across Religions

Naomi MacMurdie
March 12, 2022

Sowan Rumah Ibadah (Worship Place’s Visit) is an interactive program initiated by Global Peace Foundation (GPF) Indonesia. The ongoing program is made possible through collaboration with Global Peace Youth Indonesia-Surabaya and the Inter-religious Harmony Forum of Surabaya in order to provide an opportunity to share and broaden the perspectives of Indonesian youth on religion and the importance of interfaith collaboration in peacebuilding efforts in their community and around the world.

Young people standing in front of house of worship

Youth meet in front of various places of worship before entering to learn more about diverse religions.

Thirty young people from Surabaya had the opportunity to participate in an interfaith tour of places of worship and group discussions with religious leaders to learn about each other’s diverse religious and cultural backgrounds in October 2021. They visited the  Wiyung Royal Residences Worship Place Complex in Surabaya City.

The participants ranged in faith from Muslim, Christian, Catholic, Hindu, Budha, and Confucianism. They had the opportunity to learn directly from respected faith leaders at each venue about not only their specific traditions but more inspiringly, spiritual principles and values that connected them all no matter their faith background.

Participants stated how surprised they were to learn something new about other faiths. Firda, a Christian, said that this was her first time visiting other religious worship places and realized that all religions teach peace and tolerance. Similarly, Aby, a Muslim participant, was also visiting other religious worship places for the first time. He expressed that he was excited to be able to ask questions and have an interactive dialogue with all the respected faith leaders.

Speaker and audience

Religious leaders share details about their faiths with GPF Indonesian youth.

The Worship Place’s visit activity was held in conjunction with the Cangkrukan Perdamaian (Peace Circle) program.

Learn more about peacebuilding programs in Indonesia.

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