If you can read or understand Indonesian, you will discover that while almost everyone condemns the Paris attacks, many are bitter. It has become impossible to express grief for France without being shamed because “other people have died before and you didn’t grieve for them”.
Among Indonesians posting on Facebook, the most popular statuses are not the compassionate ones. Instead, you will read things like "I won't pray for Paris because Paris didn't pray for Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon". Western medias are accused of being biased and having double standards whenever Muslims are involved. Some go further and imply that it is normal to be attacked because France attacked Muslims countries and killed innocent civilians.
Most comments mention humiliation, abuse or neglect they consider developing countries are facing from developed nations. In particular, Muslims feel they are being victimized and blamed whenever there is a terrorist attack. Many believe that ISIS is in fact a creation of Israel and the US to spur troubles in the Middle East (no joke, you can see it here for instance: Was Isis Created by America?).
Some people feel Facebook is forcing them to use the French flag filter and that it is, again, a proof that lives in the West are worth more than in the rest of the World. This reminded me of the executions earlier this year: Many Indonesians were against clemency because they felt that sparing the inmates' lives would be a sign of submission to foreign influence.
This illustrates the resentment towards the West in Indonesia, even though few Indonesians would directly admit it. For some people, this anger becomes hate. And for some, it becomes madness. I’m convinced that this is exactly the kind of feeling terrorists had in their heart when they blew themselves up. They are no different in that sense from the lone wolves that regularly go on shooting sprees in the US.
A major misunderstanding exists because few Westerners are aware of this silent hatred. Behind the smiles, the “Hello Mister” and the fascination for "white skin", few of them really understand how they are perceived in Indonesia.
A Negative Perception Based on Stereotypes
Westerners are seen as being rich as a result of the exploitation of the wealth from poorer countries. The difference in wealth is seen as unfair. This is further exacerbated by the feeling that all Westerners have an easily life with cash growing in their backyards. This rhetoric is conveniently repeated by the Indonesian elites (for instance Jokowi here) to shift the blame from themselves to the West in order to justify the poor economical results of the country.
On the contrary, Westerners will blame corruption for the country’s lack of development. Just look at the list of the World’s most corrupt countries and you can see the obvious link between corruption and development. Corrupt countries are poor, non-corrupt countries are rich. It’s as simple as that.
Westerners are also often viewed as arrogant, rude and “acting like kings”. This is something I can understand as I’ve often seen visitors behave in ways that are not acceptable. In a country where politeness, pride and respect are valued so highly, it is not surprising that many Westerners do not fit. But to say that all foreigners are disrespectful in such ways is racist and untrue. Ask a maid if she prefers being employed by an expat family or an Indonesian family and you’ll see what she has to say...
Another reason Indonesians feel humiliated is that they believe Western countries are racist. Again, while racism exist and is a major issue in Western societies, it is simplistic and dangerous to generalize. Anti-racists are much more numerous and represent the majority of the people. There are no laws in Europe/US/Australia discriminating against the color of one’s skin or a religion. On the contrary, the reason many people from all races are looking to immigrate in those countries is that they know they will benefit from the same rights as others.
In France, it is actually easy for foreigners to obtain citizenship compared to Indonesia, even for “non-white”. Citizenship means that people get access to free medical care, free schooling and social benefits.
Are Indonesians Made to Hate the West?
While there is some legitimate reasons for Indonesians to feel angered by the West, I think that some people try to make things look worse than they really are because they benefit from this hatred.
As I mentioned before, the political elites will explain that the country is not developing as fast as, say Singapore or Japan, because of foreign countries and companies. They will blame also blame colonization, forgetting Indonesia has been independent for 70 years now.
More worrying, I think that some organizations are politically and religiously motivated. For instance, you will notice that Indonesians are obsessed with Jews and Israel. It is not surprising considering the money being poured in the country from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.
You would be surprised how little a typical Indonesian know about Palestine/Israel, yet almost all Indonesians I know will say they don’t like Jews. Anti semitism is so widespread it is like a reflex that does not need any justification.
The country is not short of contradictions when it come to the Israeli/Palestine conflict. They will support the Palestinians' right to their lands while refusing the same right to Papuans. They will shout "Save Palestinians" but they closed the door to a few hundred Rohingyas. They will mix in the internal politics of Israel but criticize any country interfering with Indonesian internal politics. If you ask them about Tibetans, Kurds, or Armenians, they will wonder what you are talking about.
Most information victimizing Muslims is not accurate. I could give tons of example. For instance, saying that there is no media coverage of the death of Palestinians or Syrians is plain wrong. There is not a day without news from the Middle East in Western media.
In France, I have heard about the plight of Palestinians every single day since I’m a kid. There is not one topic that is more widely discussed that this one. Every single day you hear about protests, calls for boycotts, exhibitions, charity trips, etc, in favour of Palestinians. There is not an earthquake, a tornado, a bombing, etc that is not reported in the media. We follow everything and we care each time.
The bombing in Beirut made the headlines of all French newspapers. To accuse French people, and Westerners of not caring for those lives is insulting and hurting. Worse, I think it is a lie intended to create more hatred and to break any possibilities of people uniting.
I was reading a very interesting interview (in French) of an anthropologist, Dounia Bouzar, explaining that the brainwashing of future jihadist starts with the victimization of Muslims. ISIS recruiters show them videos of civilian deaths in Syria, Myanmar, Irak or Palestine and tell them that the rest of the World does not care. Sounds familiar?
I would be very curious to know who were the first persons spreading rumors that the Lebanon attack was not reported on media.