(ZENIT News / Jakarta, 21.09.2023).- Islam is Indonesia’s predominant religion, with 230 millions of its 270 million inhabitants. It’s the country with the largest number of Muslims in the world (82.2% of the total). Christians constitute some 10%, of which 20 million are Protestants and 8 million are Catholics. As happens in the whole country, Christians speak many languages and belong to different ethnic groups: the most numerous are the Batak in Sumatra; Javanese and Dayaks in Borneo; and Chinese, a group where Christianity is growing. There are no Arabs, and they don’t use names of Arabic or Koranic origin.
Islam considers Jesus a Messenger of God, a Messiah sent to guide the people of Israel. One must believe in Him as in all messengers of Allah and as a requirement to be Muslim. The Koran mentions Jesus twenty-five times. His figure and history have been addressed in Indonesia using the name “Isá Almasih” (Jesus the Messiah), an Arab term taken from the Koran. Arab speaking Christians use the name Yesu, they do so when talking with Muslims who believe that “Isá” was a great Prophet, Son of Mary, who wrought miracles and merits respect. However, they deny that He died on the cross and, of course, that he was God or the Son of God.
The language of Indonesians in Muslim worship is Arabic, although they don’t use it in daily life. Christians regarded it strange to use a name with a confused meaning and linked to the Koran’s tradition, with no connection to Christian life. They asked a long time ago that the specific name Yesus Kristus be used, taken from the Greek term Christ, which means anointed, and abandon the Arabic word Isá.
The Indonesian Minister of Culture, Muhadjir Effendy announced on September 12 that the State, in keeping with the Ministry of Religious Affairs’ proposal, will no longer use the term “Isá Almasih” in official documents and, instead, will use “Yesus Kristus” as the official translation of Jesus’ name, according to the request of Catholics and Protestants.
Henceforth, the name “Yesus Kristus” will be used on national religious feasts, as the Government recognizes officially the feast of the birth of “Isá Almasih,” Christmas, His death on Good Friday and the Ascension, which will be called Birth, Death and Ascension of Yesus Kristus. The country’s Presidentpublicly [celebrates] Christmas and visits the Catholic Cathedral as recognition of Christians every year.
