Sultan of Yogyakarta Urges Religious Leaders to Use Mosques as Platforms for Enlightening the Nation

Gunungkidul (ANTARA) - The Governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY), Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, has urged religious leaders and educators in the region to use mosques and educational institutions as platforms for enlightening the nation. “For mosque administrators, I hope that in every sermon, teaching, or lecture, you allocate five minutes to insert teachings on love for the homeland and nation,” said the Sultan at the Governor of DIY’s Syawalan event with the Gunungkidul Regency administration in Gunungkidul on Wednesday. According to the Sultan, in preaching, one must be guided by the advice of Sunan Gunung Jati to Sunan Kalijaga, that to become true Islam, one must study, examine, and deliberate through dialogue. “Tabayun (caution) is important as a principle of prudence in daily life, especially in the current era of technology,” he said. The Sultan stated that when receiving information, one must always check and re-check the truth of the news along with its source before viralising or disseminating it. “Because if the zeal of those who embed hate speech is continuously reproduced, I fear we will become a short-minded nation, a nation of gossip, thus distancing us from the constitutional goal of enlightening the nation,” he said. Therefore, the Governor of DIY also invited everyone to sharpen their sense of feeling, cleanse worldly impurities, to surrender to His grace, while re-threading the threads of solidarity to strengthen Islam. “In line with the vision of the proclaimer Bung Karno, the Gunungkidul Regency administration is committed to continuing to fight for improvements in the people’s welfare, especially in fulfilling needs for food, clothing, shelter, as well as education and culture,” he said.