A few days ago in downtown Djakarta an Islamic youth group attacked a 100 year old Banyan tree hacking away most of the limbs only stopping because they lacked the heavy equipment needed to totally uproot the tree. The Persatuan Islam Persis inflicted the damage on the huge tree in order to show the local community that it possessed no magical powers. Islam in Indonesia often incorporates animistic beliefs and Banyan trees are believed by many to be inhabited by spirits. The Persatuan Islam (Islamic Union) has long been the bitterest foe of such beliefs. The group seems to have on its own developed a Salafi brand of Islam very similar to the Wahhabis. The Wahhabis of course hold that the Oneness of God (Tawhid) makes profane the belief in any interposing supernatural powers.
The tree however also has some patriotic significance in that it is featured in the country’s coat-of-arms as a symbol of “Indonesian national unity” or Persatuan Indonesia. Ironicly the scroll at the bottom of the coat-of arms says "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" which translates as ...“Unity in Diversity”.
Christianity actually went through its own Anti-Tree-Spirit phase. Winifred, who later became St. Boniface, destroyed Thor's Oak in the sacred grove in Germany.
Of course that was in 723.
No comments:
Post a Comment