Craig Leslie Hodges and supporters at the Lapindo site in Porong, Sidoarjo on February 14. Photo: Facebook
Yesterday, Australian Craig Leslie Hodges completed the first stage of a long walk he has set out for himself. Hodges arrived in Surabaya on Tuesday after setting forth from Kuta, Bali, on January 26. Except for a boat ride in between Bali and Java, Hodges made his entire way on foot, and he’s planning to jalan kaki all the way to Jakarta.
Hodges is hoping to get a lot more than exercise out of his approximately 1,300 km journey to the capital . The reason he’s pounding the paved (and unpaved) roads of Indonesia is to promote a message of peace between Muslims and non-Muslims.
Hodges, a 42-year-old who works as a lecturer at Universitas Dr Soetomo in Surabaya, has dubbed his journey Peace Walk With Muslims. He explains the aim of the walk on the event’s Facebook page by writing:
And who are the Muslims that Hodges is peace walking with? Here are just a few of the many photos from the Peace Walk With Muslims Facebook page:
Hodges has set four stages for his walk. The first, which he just completed, was the leg from Kuta to Surabaya. Next he’ll head from Surabaya to Yogyakarta, then Yogyakarta to Bandung and finally Bandung to Jakarta.
“This message of peace is not for the people of Indonesia, but for other countries, notably Australia, to let them know that there are peace-loving Muslims in Indonesia,” Hodges said yesterday, as quoted by Koran Sindo.
Hodges told the newspaper he has been spending many of his nights at local mosques along his route, despite the fact that he is a Buddhist. He said he has also received offers of hospitality, meals and donations from many supporters along the way.
After arriving back in Surabaya yesterday, Craig invited members of the military and police, students, and those from other walks of life to join him as he walked in from the edge of the city.
But he won’t stay in Surabaya long. Although he has no set date that he wants to make it to Jakarta by, he has estimated that his journey will take about 40 days.
For more info on Peace Walk With Muslims you can go to: https://www.facebook.com/PeaceWalkWithMuslims
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