Indonesia\u2019s Minister of Religious Affairs (Menag), Prof.\u00a0Nasaruddin\nUmar, has encouraged alumni from State Islamic Religious Higher\nEducation Institutions (PTKIN) across Indonesia to play a role in\nrealising Indonesia as the centre of global Islamic civilisation.\nAccording to him, Indonesia has a great opportunity to take on this\nstrategic role amid the ongoing dynamics affecting the Middle East\nregion.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us outline the thoughts on what we must do to truly make\nIndonesia the centre of global Islamic civilisation,\u201d said Nasaruddin in\nhis speech at the closing of the National Meeting of the State Islamic\nReligious Higher Education Institutions Alumni Family Association of\nIndonesia in Jakarta on Friday night (24\/4\/2026).<\/p>\n
According to Nasaruddin, the Middle East has fulfilled its historical\nrole as the birthplace of prophets and the place of the Quran\u2019s\nrevelation. However, for the future development of Islamic civilisation,\nthe region is seen as facing major challenges, particularly due to\nprolonged conflicts.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as Israel still exists, don\u2019t expect there to be peace\nthere. Here, Alhamdulillah, we are far from Israel,\u201d said this Grand\nImam of Jakarta\u2019s Istiqlal Mosque.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that in the current era of technology, geographical\ndistance is no longer a guarantee that a country is completely free from\nthe impacts of global conflicts. Nevertheless, he is optimistic that\nIndonesia will not be directly affected by the wars occurring in the\nMiddle East in the next 10 to 20 years.<\/p>\n
Therefore, Nasaruddin invited PTKIN alumni to build the strength of\nIndonesian Islamic thought. One important step, according to him, is to\npromote the translation of works by Indonesian Muslim intellectuals into\nArabic and other foreign languages so that they can be more widely known\ninternationally.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur target is to make Indonesia, in a not too long time, the centre\nof global Islamic civilisation. If I may be a bit ambitious, how to make\nIndonesia the epicentre of global Islamic civilisation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Nasaruddin assessed that Indonesia\u2019s capital to realise this\naspiration is very substantial. Around one-fifth of the world\u2019s Muslim\npopulation is in Indonesia. In addition, he also sees strong support\nfrom the government, particularly from President Prabowo Subianto, for\nstrengthening education and empowering the ummah.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe already knows that the quickest window to make Indonesia famous\nis through Islamic studies. Because we have no competitors. The Middle\nEast doesn\u2019t have any,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
He added that several countries that have long been centres of\nIslamic studies in the Middle East are also facing severe challenges,\nboth economically, socially, and politically. This condition, according\nto him, becomes momentum for Indonesia to take a greater role in\nbuilding global Islamic civilisation.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us be grateful that God has destined us to be far from that\ncentre of conflict. This is our challenge: how to seize the time in this\nvery short period to prepare what we must do after the Middle East war,\u201d\nhe said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s time for us to do something big. And I hope a lot from the\nalumni friends here to think about this,\u201d said Nasaruddin.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/religious-affairs-minister-as-long-as-israel-exists-dont-expect-peace-1777107055", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }