Religious Tolerance

I happen to spend my childhood in Aceh. Where the majorities are moslem, we practiced Islamic law tightly and where they call nonMoslem as infidels. It also happens that I have one very best friend at that time which is a Christian and he was a very good Christian indeed. When we were kids, his dream was to become a pastor. He said to serve his God. I always associated pastors with unmarried, and poor, which is not the case apparently. At that time, I asked him is that the only way you can serve your God, you know, becoming a pastor. By becoming an engineer or scientist, you can also still serve your God, can't you? At that time, he insisted on becoming a pastor.

It is not very common for a young Moslem girl to have a young Christian boy as her best friend at that time. Because in school we were all taught that Christians and Jews will forever be our enemies, and that they will use all tricks to make you fall. We were told of the horrible things they do to convert us to become them.

I maybe am one of the careless people in the world. If I see it's not dangerous I would just go through with it despite what everyone says. Then we became best friends, until we grow up. I dated one of his other best friend, and if there is anything I can't tell anyone, I tell him and vice versa. He holds my darkest secret, and I hold his. Some things he can boldly do which I could not. There are things I admire about him and which makes me so calm whenever I'm around him. No people, it's not love, it's compassion. Even after I moved to Jakarta, Bandung, Singapore, and he roams Jogjakarta, Manila and Jakarta we still kept in touch. Sometimes I wonder why I could never have such relationship with a fellow Muslim. We respect each other and kept religious issues at bay. I pray, and he sings. Rasulullah never taught us to hate nonbelievers, but to stood our ground firm whenever anyone disturb our beliefs.

Now I'm married and he's married. I'm quite close with the wife. Guess what, he didn't become a pastor in the end. He married one! hahahaha. Apparently in Christian, girls can also become some sort of a pastor, who dedicated their life to religion and work in the church. He took my advice and become a chemical engineer in the end, and work in an oil company. After we got married and he got busy then things started to change. But strangely I don't hate him for it... because I know.. he'll always be my friend.

And from him, I've learned the lesson of religious tolerance that everyone is fighting for. Through friendship.