Istiqlal Mosque and Barack Obama

At the northeast of the National Monument (Monas) Square, in the front of Pertamina - the Oil and Gas state company - building, we can see a big edifice stands on the site measuring by 12 hectares, the Istiqlal Mosque.  Istiqlal is the biggest and most splendor mosque in Southeast Asia, the second biggest in the world after the Masjidil Haram Mosque in Mecca.

The mosque can accommodate around 100,000 people inside. The number of prayers can be even bigger especially when Islamic people celebrate religious events such as Idul Fitri and Idul Adha. The world “istiqlal” is taken from Arabic meaning “independence”, for which Islamic people want to show their thankfulness to God the Almighty for the Indonesian independence in 1945.  

The Istiqlal Mosque structure is highly symbolic. The silver dome with the diameter of 45 meters symbolizes the Indonesian independence in 1945; the 12 pillars supporting the great dome, each with the height of 12 meters, stand for the date of 12 Rabiul Awal in the lunar calendar, the birthday of Prophet Mohammad.  The minaret with the height of 66,66 meters symbolizes the total verses of the Koran up to 6,666; another iron minaret with the height of 30 meters stands for the total 30 juz (chapters) of the Koran.

The idea of establishing a splendor mosque in Jakarta came into being when some Islamic scholars (ulemas) in 1953, namely KH Wahid Hasyim, the first Indonesian minister of religious affairs, together with other prominent scholars such as H. Agus Salim, Anwar Tjokroaminoto, and around 200 Islamic figures to establish Istiqlal Mosque Foundation as the vehicle to realize the idea.

The then president, Soekarno, supported the idea and he personally (maybe as the capacity of a civil engineer) became the head of a technical department for the construction of the building and the chairman of the jury for the competition to select the model and design of the mosque.

After a long judging process by studying the architectural design and its meaning based on the ideas of the participants, finally, on July 5, 1955, President Soekarno decided that the design with the title of “Lordship” by Frederich Silaban became the winner for the model of the Istiqlal Mosque.

Obama’s Visit

During his visit to Jakarta, Obama delivered a speech at the University of Indonesia which began with a simple statement uttered in Bahasa Indonesia: “Indonesia adalah bagian dari diri saya (Indonesia is a part of me)”. It was obvious that his life as a child in Jakarta gave a deep impression to him and built up parts of his character. As he grew up, he deeply appreciated the way of life and the basic philosophy adopted by the country where he lived as a little boy.  

His time in Jakarta helped him to appreciate the common humanity of all people around the world. He appreciated this and drew from his experience as a little boy living in Indonesia. He learned from the school that the country is made of thousands of islands, hundreds of languages, and people from scores of regions and ethnic groups.  

More importantly, he learned from his step-father, who like most Indonesians was raised as a Moslem, that all religions were worthy of respect. He understands that his step-father reflected the spirit of religious tolerance that is enshrined in the Indonesian constitution, and that remains one of the country’s defining and inspiring characteristics.

So much were the reasons why he wanted to visit in the first place the Istiqlal Mosque, which was still under construction when he was in Jakarta as a little boy, as the symbolic gesture of his determination to establish religious tolerance. "Religion is fundamental to the Indonesian story. Indonesia is steeped in spirituality, a place where people worship God in many different ways. Such is the Indonesia spirit. Such is the message of Indonesia's inclusive philosophy, Pancasila," Obama said. 

As president, his obsession to establish the inter-religion tolerance in the world was expressed in several of his speeches such as in Cairo and Istanbul, especially on the issues of Palestinians-Israel conflicts. Obama has made as a priority to begin to repair the relationship between the United States and Moslem communities around the world, the beginning that creates a path for both to move beyond the differences.   

As an American, it seemed that Obama has followed closely the situation in Indonesia.  As his speech at the University of Indonesia was coincidentally delivered on November 10th, the National Hero Day of Indonesia, he did not miss to mention the Indonesians struggle for independence. "The message of the Indonesian who have advanced the democratic story, from those who fought in the battle of Surabaya 55 years ago to the students who rallied peacefully for democracy in the 1990s and to leaders who have embraced the peaceful transition of power. It will be the rights of citizens that will stick together the "Nusantara" that stretches from Sabang to Merauke," such as Obama's comprehensive understanding of Indonesian history.  

He further remarked that Indonesia has charted its own course through a democratic transformation from the rule of an iron fist to the rule of the people. He believed that the foundation of Indonesia’s example to the world among other the spirit of tolerance written into the constitution and "Bhineka Tunggal Ika" - unity in diversity - similar to American national motto's: "E Pluribus Unum", will make Indonesia play an important role in the 21st century.