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DENPASAR, BALI, INDONESIA, March 10, 2005: Raucous tourism and Islamic extremists have clashed with deadly results in Indonesia’s Bali, but a Hindu festival that will silence the island’s nightclubs and mosques this week in a display of religious tolerance may help lay many painful memories to rest. Bali, a Hindu bastion in the world’s largest Muslim-populated nation, will mark the faith’s new year tomorrow — the holiest day of the week for Muslims when mosques normally broadcast communal prayers on loudspeakers. Planes are banned from take off and landing at the island’s bustling airport during the 24-hour celebration, while the thousands of holiday makers who flock to the resort will be confined to their hotels. Such measures are drastic for a destination that has been bending over backwards to lure back visitors in the wake of the October 2002 bombings in which 202 people, mainly foreign tourists, were killed. But local authorities are hoping to capitalize on the annual event to draw a line under the tragedies of the past and cement new inter-religious bonds on the island with the aim of preventing a repeat of the carnage. Hindus believe the new year is when their Gods cleanse and purify the universe. Local lore states that silence and inactivity trick demons into believing there is no one left on earth to haunt. Balinese Hindus are prohibited from making fire, switching on lights, working, leaving their houses or making noise. They must also fast for the day.

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