Why these Christian missionaries donated to a mosque in Indonesia

(OPINION) The virus has disrupted most of our religious life. Of course, Americans are more aware of church and other closures in the U.S. but since this is the end of Ramadan, it has hit Muslims particularly hard. During Ramadan those Muslims who can are required to fast from dawn to dusk. In much of the Muslim world, sunset inaugurates worship, gathering with friends and relatives, and a feast. Social distancing fractures nearly all of that.

In Indonesia, the end of Ramadan inaugurates mudik. The country closes down for the Idul Fitri holiday, with usually a few days added, and tens of millions of people head to their hometown or village to visit their family, especially parents, and gather with their extended family and old friends. If a person has lived in Jakarta for decades, they will certainly tell you they live in Jakarta, but if you ask them where their home is, they might well name a village in Central Java or Sumatra. The roads, railways, ferries, and airports are choked. I once was stuck in 20-mile traffic jam at mudik. It can make American Thanksgiving travel looked almost relaxed.

But mudik is banned this year.

Bernie and Farsijana Adeney-Risakotta tell some revealing stories about Ramadan. After teaching in Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union, Bernie moved to Indonesia, became Professor of Religion, Ethics and Social Science at Gadjah Mada University in Jogjakarta and was the founding director of the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies. He was simultaneously a Presbyterian missionary. Among many other things, Farsijana lectures at Duta Wacana Christian University, is the founder and director of the House of Authentic Sense (HAS), a community-based cooperative comprised of village entrepreneurs from throughout the area, and is a Presbyterian missions co-worker.

In the late 1990s, they built a home called Pondok Tali Rasa in an all-Muslim neighborhood in Jogjakarta that has served as a center for community outreach and hospitality. It was there that they first told me this story.

Down the block from them was a mosque and they got to know Pak Zainal, one of the mosque leaders. He was a deeply pious man who also worked at the university and they became friends and often had theological discussions about their faiths.

Then they noticed that during Ramadan the mosque served a meal every evening to whoever wanted to come and eat. About 50-100 people, mostly the poorer people in the neighborhood, came each night. Pak Zainal and his wife did all the cooking in their house right across the street from the mosque and served the food themselves—this after a full day of work and fasting.

Bernie wondered how they could afford to do this since the salary from the university was very small. Farsijana responded that it was paid for by donations that people in the neighborhood gave to the mosque and suggested that maybe they should themselves give a donation for the meal program. This was a new thing for Bernie and seemed strange: “But we are Christian, we give to the church and NGO’s. Should we give to a mosque? Farsijana laughed and replied, ‘Why not? You think that way because you are an American.’”

They discussed it and decided to donate. They ordered a big sack of rice, 50 or 100 kilos, and asked that it be delivered to the mosque. They then put some money in an envelope and went down the block  to see Pak Zainal. He saw then coming and rushed out to greet them saying “Where are you going. I was just coming to see you! He went on, “We have a problem and were wondering if you could maybe help. We’ve got a hundred people coming and we are out of rice and have no money.”

Since they were good friends, Bernie gave him a bit of a hard time: “Why do you think we should help? It is a mosque activity and we are Christians.  Why would it be something to which we would contribute” Zainal replied, “No, that’s OK, it’s fine. You shouldn’t have to contribute. But we thought you might be interested.” Asked, why he thought they might contribute, “because you are good neighbors, good people.” Bernie then admitted to him: “Actually the reason we came over was to see you and try to help. We admire all the work you do,” and they handed him the money. With perfect timing, the rice then arrived.

Pak Zainal almost started to cry and asked, “how could you have known?” Bernie didn’t have a good answer but Farsijana responded “It was the Holy Spirit.” And they came to share the meal and discuss the different ways that God communicates with us. Now the mosque sends them food on special occasions such as Eid al-Adha, and they have helped repair and expand the mosque.

As I have described before, Christians in Indonesia often help build mosques and Muslims often help Christians build churches. These were not lukewarm believers but are committed to their faith, but they also believe they should help each other. Indeed, on the island of Alor, Christians and Muslims helped each other build their houses of worship and as thanks, each community asked the other to name the building. Now the Ismael (Ishmael) Church sits next to the Immanuel Mosque.

Bernie Adeney-Risakotta says, “it changed my paradigm of inter-religious relations. We are neighbors and need to work together on the good things that others do.”

Paul Marshall is the Wilson Distinguished Professor of Religious Freedom at Baylor University, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom, Washington, D.C, and a contributor to Religion Unplugged.