Towards interreligieus dialogue and peace in Sulawesi

for Mensen met een Missie & Institute Mosintuwu

Mensen met een Missie (MM) works on the Indonesian islands of Java and Sulawesi to increase religious tolerance. Together with local organizations and community leaders (women, youth, religious leaders), they organize all kinds of activities to promote tolerance, reduce discrimination and combat radicalization. On assignment for MM I visited the Poso region. In this part of Central Sulawesi, religious conflict between Muslims and Christians raged from 1998 to 2001. The town later became a hotbed for Islamic militants. While the violence now mostly has ended, signs of the conflict remain- in the form of hundreds of graveyards, burned buildings and distrust between people.

In this region, MM partners with Institute Mosintuwu, a community movement working towards interreligieus dialogue and peace. It supports conflict survivors to access their economic, social, cultural, political and civil rights. Mosintuwu was founded in 2008 by Poso-native Lian Gogali.