City holds religious meet
JAKARTA (JP): About 18,000 Moslems, including some two hundred foreigners, are attending a three-day gathering in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, which started yesterday, to listen to a series of sermons and speeches and to broaden their knowledge of Islam.
The foreign participants are from Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka.
An organizer said that after the gathering, the participants will go to more than 240 regencies in the country, and some even will travel overseas to remind other fellow Moslems of their religious obligations to glorify the name of Allah the Almighty.
This year's event is the 15th of an annual series.
City Military chief Maj.Gen. Wiranto told the local participants in his keynote address at the gathering, that they should actively take part in keeping the unity of the nation by minimizing differences among the people.
Wiranto reminded them that through sholat jamaah (Moslem mass prays), Moslems are taught to maintain unity and foster brotherhood among themselves as well as with those who embrace different faiths.
Some countries face great problems such as civil war and prolonged political conflicts because they have failed to preserve national unity, he pointed out, citing the breakdown of the Soviet Union and the war-infested areas in former Yugoslavia.
"Disunity might be caused by differences regarding ethnical, religion and political interests and issues," he said, adding that it would be better for the nation to concentrate on improving people's welfare rather than engaging in differences that have the potential to split the country.
He also reminded the participants that the nation should prepare quality younger generations and human resources with a high sense of integrity and discipline.
The general appealed to all parties, especially God-fearing Moslems, to share the responsibility for grooming youths with strong personality and a high degree of morality.
Wiranto also called on the local participants to help promote the national discipline campaign launched by President Soeharto in May, saying that discipline was a prerequisite for the nation to face challenges in this era of globalization. (29)