With a population of over 3 million people Surabaya is Indonesia's second largest city. Located on the eastern coast of Java it is known as "the city of heroes" due to the importance of the Battle of Surabaya in galvanizing Indonesian and international support for Indonesian independence during the Indonesian National Revolution.
There are a number of theories about the origin of the name but the one I like best is the local myth that Surabaya is derived from the Sanskrit words "sura" (shark) and "baya" (crocodile), two creatures which fought each other in order to gain the title of "the strongest and most powerful animal".
There are a number of theories about the origin of the name but the one I like best is the local myth that Surabaya is derived from the Sanskrit words "sura" (shark) and "baya" (crocodile), two creatures which fought each other in order to gain the title of "the strongest and most powerful animal".
I am here to take part in a week long workshop designed to explore the opportunities for Interfaith dialogue in an Islamic context for the purpose of community transformation and development. We are exploring the dividers and connectors between Islam and Christianity. Talking about the similarities and the differences. Sharing stories of faith journeys with local Islamic and Christian leaders and imagining what it would look like to partner together for the benefit of Indonesian communities. (These lessons of course will be informative for other contexts, including my own in Australia.)
The other day I had the privilege of sitting with a local Imam who told his story of 'salvation'. He was a local thug, "the king of thugs in Surabaya" he called himself. He was a shark, always in a fight with others - always looking for a fight, always looking to promote himself and his own - with no regard for others. But, one day he met a Christian woman who told him that he was worth more than he imagined. Over a period of time she showed him that Christians were not all he had learnt about - cruel, colonial, supremacists - and her message and example of hospitable love convinced him that he needed to be part of improving his community. Today he runs an Islamic boarding school for orphans like himself. Together he and a local Christian Pastor have 'converted' a notoriously dangerous community into a place of safety - a home for some of the people that society would rather ignore.
