West Papua Has the Highest Level of Religious Harmony in Indonesia

West Papua Has the Highest Level of Religious Harmony in Indonesia

A recent study shows that West Papua has a higher level of religious harmony than the capital city of Jakarta, even the highest in Indonesia. The riots that occurred some time ago in the Papua region were also considered not to reflect the relationship of religious harmony there.
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In a recent study released by the Center for Religious Guidance for Religious Guidance and Religious Services at the Indonesian Ministry of Religion Research and Development Agency this week, the religious harmony index in West Papua has a score of 82.1 - from a maximum value of 100 - which is very high.
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The value of West Papua is in fact the highest in Indonesia, followed by East Nusa Tenggara (81.1) and Bali (80.1). Papua Province ranks 6th with a score of 79 below Maluku (79.4).
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The capital city of Jakarta is in the 8th lowest index of religious harmony in Indonesia with a score of 71.3 along with Aceh (60.2), which is in the last position, Banten (68.9) and West Java (68.5).
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However, the level of harmony for Jakarta, Banten and West Java is still relatively high when viewed from the parameters of the study conducted during the period May-June 2019.
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The survey of 13,600 respondents in 34 provinces of Indonesia measured the variables of tolerance, equality and cooperation among adherents of religion.
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According to the head of the survey team, namely Muhammad Adlin Sila, the high level of religious harmony in eastern Indonesia was influenced by several factors. One of the most important is social capital. "There is trust in social capital, there are norms regarding neighboring life, that is different."
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In Papua, said Adlin, interactions with migrants of different religions have long existed. In addition, minority sentiments also influence. Although Christians in the Papua region are in the majority, nationally they are still in the minority.
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"So this is psychological. So the minority group must show an attitude that respects the dominant values, so it is different from other regions with a majority," said the alumni of the Australian National University (ANU) added.