Moslems told to forge ties with non-Moslem groups
Moslems told to forge ties with non-Moslem groups
JAKARTA (JP): Moslems throughout the Asia-Pacific region must
forge ties and cooperate with people of other religions,
President Soeharto said yesterday.
Moslems in this part of the world live in plural societies,
not only in terms religion, but also ethnicity, language and
culture, Soeharto said when opening the Conference on the
Propagation of Islam in the Asia-Pacific at the State Palace.
"Within this pluralism, the Moslem community must be able to
show that Islam is a `blessing for the entire universe' and that
the peace, salvation and prosperity that are the attributes of
Islam must also be felt by people of other faiths," he said.
This principle, he said, should apply whether Islam is the
predominant religion in a country, or a minority community,
Antara reported.
The congress's opening ceremony, which was attended by the
Saudi Arabia Minister for Islamic Affairs and Propagation,
Abdullah Abdul Muhsin At-Turki, came on the eve of a major
Islamic cultural festival in Jakarta.
The Istiqlal Festival, to be held at the Grand Istiqlal
Mosque, will be opened by the President tonight and will run for
two months.
Grand Imam
In a connected event, the chairman of the World Council for
Da'wah, Grand Imam Shiekh Al-Azhar Gad Al-Haqq of Egypt, will
begin a 10-day visit to Indonesia today. The council is an
international organization which promotes the spread of the
Islamic faith. The Grand Imam will also address the conference on
Sunday.
Soeharto pointed out in his speech that a quarter of the
estimated one billion Moslems in the world live in the Asia-
Pacific region.
Moslems must strive to become role models wherever they live,
he insisted.
The propagation of Islam must be able to answer some of the
major problems confronting humankind, he said. It must also
promote eternal peace and find peaceful ways of solving
conflicts.
Soeharto cited the disparity between the rich and poor nations
and the presence of abject poverty in many parts of the world as
some of the major problems that remain to be solve.
Ulemas and Moslem leaders must be able to bring the people
towards progress with the help of science, he said, adding that
besides the study of religion, Moslems must also master science
and technology.
The propagation effort must encourage Moslems, particularly
youths, to master science and technology, he underlined.
The Saudi Minister, Abdullah Abdul Muhsin, said his government
will continue to promote Islamic propagation efforts in the
eastern part of the world.
He said Moslems must also dispel Islam's poor reputation and
counter accusations leveled at Islam and its adherence, such as
"terrorism and extremism". (emb)