Gus Dur officiates mosque, church in Surabaya

Gus Dur officiates mosque, church in Surabaya

SURABAYA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid, known for his high
religious tolerance, officiated the use of a new mosque and a new
Catholic church in two subsequent ceremonies here on Friday,
saying that the events could be cited as evidence of religious
harmony.

When inaugurating the Al-Akbar Mosque located in the
Pagesangan area in South Surabaya, the President said that a
mosque must not function just as a place of worship but also as a
place to educate and to make Muslims more mature.

The 12,000 square meter building stands on a 11.2 hectare
plot. The mosque is designed to accommodate a congregation of
36,000. The Rp 60 billion mosque, construction of which started
in 1996, is the second largest mosque in the country after
Jakarta's Istiqlal Mosque.

"As the majority, it is proper for Indonesian Muslims to
improve their maturity from time to time and become patrons of
other people of different religions," he said.

After the ceremony held in the yard of the new mosque, the
President and his entourage said Friday noon prayer, which was
followed by a dialog with the mosque's congregation. A habit he
always keeps on Fridays.

Unlike previous Friday dialogs, the dialog at the Al-Akbar
mosque did not involve many political issues.

The President then walked to the Sakramen Maha Kudus Catholic
Church which is only some 200 meters away from the mosque.

"The two worship places are close to each other symbolizing
religious harmony. I am very happy to learn that the development
of religious life in Indonesia is getting better, despite the
recent rifts. We are in the learning process and becoming more
and more mature. The government is in charge of maintaining the
process so that all religious communities feel protected," he
said.

Surabaya Bishop Johanes Hadiwikarta expressed his happiness
with the historical moment. "Maybe it is the first time for a
President, who is also a kyai, to inaugurates two different
places of worship consecutively. This event deserves to be
included in the book of records."

On Thursday, the President gave a lecture to the students of
the State Islamic Institute (IAIN) Surabaya at the Students Hall.

Some 100 students greeted the President with a demonstration,
demanding that the President ensure that all the cronies of
former president Soeharto be tried.

He also visited the Bhayangkara University before proceeding
to the state-owned shipbuilding company PT PAL to attend the
official handover of vessels to the Ministry of Defense and the
National Police Force.

Gus Dur said in his address that PT PAL should not concentrate
on the building of big vessels only. "PT PAL should also produce
small ships for traditional fishermen. The company is part of the
maritime industry which is expected to help the government boost
the sea transportation system in the eastern part of the
archipelago." (nur/sur)