Ex-minister gets honorary doctorate

JAKARTA: Indonesia must maintain religious harmony or risk the disintegration of the nation, former religious affairs minister Tarmizi Thaher said.

Tamizi said religious harmony was the "superglue" holding all of the country's ethnic and religious groups together.

He made the statement after receiving an honorary doctorate from the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University here on Saturday.

Tarmizi served as religious affairs minister from 1993 to 1998 under former president Soeharto.

He said preachers should always work to preserve tolerance among different religious communities.

Also attending the ceremony were the university's rector Azyumardi Azra, House of Representatives Deputy Speaker A.M. Fatwa, Muslim scholar Komaruddin Hidayat and poet Taufiq Ismail. -- Antara