Launch of the book: Indonesia - Emerald Chain of Tolerance at the Institut Agama Islam Negeri Mataram, Lombok Island

The book and related educational and audio-visual products, presented by the renowned scholar Yudi Latif and his team, is a compilation of real-life examples of tolerance in Indonesia - based on symbols, practices and personas. The geographical range that has been covered during the preceding field mapping of multi-ethnic, multi-religions, multi-culture, multi-beliefs and multi-practices provides rich realities of lived tolerance which are now presented across Indonesia.

Lombok, which defines as a nation bridge the transitional zone between Asia and Australia is considered also a cultural bridge between different ethnics, their culture and religion. At UIN Mataram Yudi Latif discussed with local experts like Atun Wardatun and Husni Muadz the big question; how to preserve unity and diversity amid signs of growing intolerance.

The panel described diversity as a blessing and the biggest asset of the nation that needs to be celebrated and protected.

According to the panelists Pancasila – represented and materialized by gotong royong in daily life - provides an impressive set of commonly accepted values as orientation and compass of a pluralist society and therefore also the quintessence as well as the guarantor of Unity in diversity - Bhinneka Tunggal Ika - in Indonesia.