FROM ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI AND SULTAN MALIK AL-KAMIL TO YOUTH INTERFAITH ENCOUNTERS IN A TIME OF MISTRUST

In 2026, a rare moment occurred in the global religious calendar when Lent, Ramadan, and the Lunar New Year converged for the first time since 1863 and it will only happen again in 2189. This convergence is more than a calendar coincidence, but a sign and symbol to celebrate the diversity we have. Trustbuilding Yogyakarta, in collaboration with the brothers from Bonaventura Monastery, organized an interfaith iftar to celebrate this diversity. It was also an initiative inspired by the story of Saint Francis of Assisi and Sultan Malik Al-Kamil and about their steps towards dialogue instead of war.

In the context of Trustbuilding, remembering a good story from the past is also one process to heal the historical wounds. We are not only carrying the unresolved trauma, but also the compassion that our ancestors gave us. In the midst of a chaotic world with war everywhere, this local initiative offered a sense of hope for a future with sustainable peace.

Broken trust is spread all over the world. Technology is advancing and has become a double edged sword. It is beneficial to connect people all over the world, yet it also can make mistrust, hoaxes, and slander spread within seconds, often amplified by artificial intelligence (AI). Without meaningful encounters and strong social cohesion, such conditions can deepen the mistrust in a diverse society.

Youth came from different backgrounds to this event with the theme “Breaking Iftar & Cooking Together”; some of them came from Makassar, Kupang, Bandung, Madura, Pekanbaru, and they had one thing in common, they all study in Yogyakarta. With the help of Fr. Wilton and Fr. Raka, this event received the approval of Father Jerry who is responsible for all the brothers in the Bonaventura Monastery. Also in attendance were Ninis and Arisyi who are the facilitators of Trustbuilding Yogyakarta and were helped by Ami who is an alumni of Creators of Peace Yogyakarta.

From Friendship to Communal Engagement

The event was not held because it was related to a certain program achievement, but instead initiated from Ninis and Fr. Wilton’s friendship. Kang Wawan, a senior in interfaith activism in Bandung, said that before there is interfaith conversation, there has to be friendship conversation. From the trust built since 2023, Ninis and Fr. Wilton agreed to organize a “break iftar” together to embark on a peace initiative and celebrate Ramadan and Lent. Both Muslims and Catholics are fasting in different ways, so this event was also a safe space to share each other's experiences of encountering the other.

(Ninis forming a warm friendship with another frater, a simple moment of genuine connection)

From two friends, the friendship blossomed to a communal engagement bringing 26 people together to celebrate diversity. For most of the participants it was the first time for them to encounter and celebrate diversity together. It was a baby step, yet it encouraged young people to continue the initiatives. This informal approach led to organic cohesion. Many deep conversations occurred in the kitchen, while playing cards, and in recreation time. Some people exchanged their contact details to keep in touch with each other and some are already planning to create their own initiatives.

The Safe Space for Dialogue and Sharing Thoughts

Learning from the story of St. Francis of Assisi, we learnt that it needed a lot of courage to step into a different situation which is what happened with the crusade. The story of St. Francis meeting Sultan Malik Al-Kamil was dramatic and it received many objections from his own community. Yet, his courage was fruitful as Sultan Malik Al-Kamil opened his heart to welcome him. Since then, this story has become a remarkable story in the history of peacebuilding and has become an inspiration for all of us. In the era of wars happening all over the world, many grievances remain, and hatred spreads so it is now the time to cultivate the seeds of peace and to create safe spaces to process all of these. Courage needs to be ignited and compassion needs to be translated into concrete actions of dialogue and trustbuilding.

Safe spaces are needed to build trust among people, yet not all people understand how to do it. Ninis shared the four moral standards of Initiatives of Change (IofC) and the golden rules on sharing to make sure each person is comfortable. Creating safe space needs trust and this comes from the willingness to listen to others without judgment, comparison, and suggestions that were not called for. In addition, making the story confidential and limited to our circle is also a way to build trust. Most of the time, when we re-tell other’s stories, we might add or lessen some parts, which may hang around as gossip. The participants learned to create a safe space by playing Friends For Life (FFL) cards. It is a tool from IofC Indonesia to encourage people to share their stories by following the questions and quotes from the cards. The feedback from the participants were positive; for instance Fr. Pandu said that his card brought back his concern about understanding “who and what is the true man?”. Through the questions on the card, he went back to himself and did a short reflection.

(Using the Friends for Life card to create a safe space between Muslim and Catholic participants, fostering trust and understanding)

Besides using FFL cards, cooking became one of the prominent ways to cultivate the seeds of trust. When people can prepare the food together, they gather and share their stories and perspectives. During the preparation for the iftar, the participants gathered in the kitchen and they interacted with one another. Some were busy working together to prepare the food while others were busy preparing the ingredients while sharing their stories and asking about each others’ activities and faith. Cooking together is another form of dialogue, a resilient and resistant way to keep the dialogue alive to build trust among each other.

(Preparing meals for Iftar together, creating a safe space and bonding beyond differences)

In the wars happening everywhere, one initiative continues the peace initiatives in the past. The story of Saint Francis of Assisi and Sultan Malik Al-Kamil is relevant today and it comes from our heart. It is not a formal dialogue with agreement and diplomacy, but rather from the grassroots involving something as simple as cooking and sharing stories. It is not only a dialogue but sustainable peace as it does not end at the event but continues with friendship in our daily life.

Writer : Anisa Eka Putri Kusmayani

Proof reader : Peter Heyes