Introduction

Evangelical churches are spreading like wildfirethroughout the world, Islamic faith is becomingincreasingly fashionable, religious radicalizationis on the move, and religious conflicts frequentlymake it into the headlines. Contrary to widespreadassumptions that secularism and modernity will bringabout the demise of religion, we encounter itsreturn and revitalization in many parts of the world(Hornbacher & Gottowik 2008: 19). In paralleland contrary to the assumption of globalizationcausing the demise of local cultures, we areencountering a worldwide trend to revive traditionsand the emergence of so-called modern traditions.This represents an effort to return to one'sculture, weakened or destroyed through(neo-)colonial interventions or processes ofmodernity and globalization, often as a way ofreclaiming resources such as land and politicalleadership (Bräuchler & Widlok 2007). Indonesiacomprises both trends. While religious and ethnictensions and conflicts – in fact, any tensionrelated to ethnicity, religion, race and class(Suku, Agama, Ras dan Antargolongan, SARA) – were kept in checkduring the authoritarian Suharto regime, the reinsloosened after his stepping down in May 1998, andsome of the long-suppressed antagonisms exploded.After the Bali bombing in 2002 and the prolonged‘religious violence’ in the Moluccas (1999-2003),Indonesia entered the universal mind map of aradical Islam on the rise. Until then, few peoplewere aware of it being the largest Muslim nation inthe world due to its moderate version of Islam,which had entered a close relationship with localpre-Islamic traditions in most parts of the country.Until December 1998, people in the Moluccas (Malukuin Indonesian) were also praised for theirinterreligious harmony. In parallel to risingradicalism, the recent liberalization anddemocratization of Indonesian politics brought in adecentralization process that was accompanied by atrend to revive local adat (tradition and customary law) andtraditional structures all over the country. InMaluku, this revival became an important means ofbuilding interreligious bridges in the people'ssearch for peace.

The ambivalent picture of religion versus adat, of harmony versusreligious or ethnic strife, somehow reflects theambivalent character of Southeast Asia as such.Hornbacher and Gottowik (2008: 22, 23) describe thepeaceful coexistence of and cooperation betweenworld religions and between world religions andlocal belief systems such as ancestor worship as aunique feature of Southeast Asia.