Here’s a nice little story in which religious people of different persuasions stick it to the man. No, even that part isn’t antagonistic — although, come to think of it, “freedom of religion” doesn’t always have to mean “freedom from religion.”
Let me explain: Dinar Enggar Puspita, a 17-year-old Muslim girl from Indonesia who’s spending the year in Riverdale, NY, and attending a public high school there, prays five times a day. Forbidden from praying in school, though, her host mother asked around, and found that the rabbi of her synagogue, the Riverdale Jewish Center — which is just across the street from Ms. Puspita’s school — would welcome her and her prayer mat.
“A lot [is] different, but I enjoy it,” Ms. Puspita said. “I mean, I can learn from the differences, right?”
When asked for an example on that fall afternoon, one quickly sprang to mind. In Indonesia, she said, “There are only two seasons: dry and rainy.”
There are more differences than just that, I’m sure. But it’s good to know that sometimes the difference can be welcomed.
