Religious pluralism is one of the basic elements that must be secured for the development of a democratic civil society. Especially in ethnically, culturally, and religiously diverse societies like Indonesia, it is essential to construct peaceful and cooperative interreligious relations by which the rights of minority groups are protected, national unity is maintained and a democratic civil society may flourish. Despite many negative circumstances such as violent conflicts caused by religious hostility, the expanded influence of fundamentalism and conservatism, and the systematized terrorist attacks, there are interreligious NGOs such as Interfidei and YPLAG which recognize the significance of religious pluralism and are making efforts to promote it as a basic condition for the preservation of cultural diversity and democratic consolidation. This study is concerned with these NGOs and their public role in fighting against the growth of intolerance by interacting with people of diverse religions through discussion, education, and cooperative activities for conflict resolution, etc. The central question is how these interreligious NGOs communicate the notion of religious pluralism for the growth of deliberative democracy in post-Reform Indonesia. This research challenges Habermas' view on the role of religion in the public sphere that claims limited contribution of religious reason to public affairs by assuming that religious reason cannot be a source of validity claim for a certain political argument. This research examines the NGOs' philosophical direction embedded in their vision and activities. Participant observation and interviews, as well as literature reviews of the NGOs, demonstrate that the NGOs' above activities have not remained in just normalizing interreligious relations but seek to construct legitimacy for the idea of religious pluralism as a common platform that transcends particular religions' theological or political interests but embraces all the religious groups and develop national solidarity. Interreligious NGOs have contributed to invigorating public discussion on various social issues such as human rights, education, and conflict resolution so that people can deal with those issues democratically. Religious conviction gave NGO activists a strong motivation and sense of obligation to pursue interreligious harmony and social justice. They communicated the need for dialogue with people of diverse educational levels, religions, and ethnic backgrounds although their perceptions of religious pluralism are different from one another. The findings offer an alternative viewpoint to the public role of religion in legitimizing interreligious dialogue and cooperation as a necessary element for maintaining national solidarity and democratic consolidation. Interreligious NGOs have contributed to the development of deliberative democracy by the vitalization of the public sphere, the public use of religious reason in dealing with conflicts, and the formation of civic networks, education, and alliances for the proliferation of religious pluralism as a democratic value.
Key Words: NGO, Interreligious Dialogue, Interreligious Collaboration, Deliberative Democracy, Indonesia