JAVA, INDONESIA, July 23, 2004: For the last three decades of the twentieth century, Javanese Hindus have been struggling to formally return to their roots. Previous to a Muslim invasion in the 15th century, Java had been a Hindu nation for over one thousand years. During this invasion most Hindus did convert to Islam. However, the conversion was not a true soul-stirring conversion and the people kept up their Hindu traditions in rural areas and in their homes. The news release explains, “A utopian Hindu revival movement has emerged in Java over the last three decades of the twentieth century, and is gathering momentum in the turmoil of Indonesia’s continuing economic and political crisis. Drawing on ancient prophesies, many of its members believe that a great natural cataclysm or final battle is at hand in which Islam will be swept from the island to conclude the current age of darkness. Thereafter, they say, Hindu civilization will be restored to its former glory – with Java as the political center of a new world order that will last for a thousand years.”
Formally returning to religious roots has not been without pain. The result has let to inter-religious conflict in a nation that has prided itself on harmonious community relationships. It has only been since 1962 that Javanese Hindus could even declare themselves as Hindus. The National Indonesian Bureau of Statistics in an unpublished 1999 report says, “Nearly 100.000 Javanese have officially converted or ‘reconverted’ from Islam to Hinduism over the last two decades.”
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