Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown are among world leaders set to address a three-day World Peace Forum in Jakarta, starting Tuesday.

They will deliver their written and video messages at the second World Peace Forum from their respective countries.

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and Dutch Prime Minister Jan Balkenende have also confirmed their participation, by preparing video speeches for some 200 religious, political and business players attending from across the globe.

The gathering, co-hosted by Muhammadiyah (Indonesia's second largest Islamic organization), the Center for Dialogue and Cooperation among Civilizations (CDCC) and the Cheng Ho Multi Culture Trust, is aiming to find solutions to address facets of religious violence at national and global levels.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is slated to open the conference which will later be closed by his deputy, Jusuf Kalla.

Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin, who also chairs CDCC, said it is time for Indonesian Muslims to step in and help create global peace and eradicate violence.

"We have gathered religious, political, business, academic and media figures so we can come up with practical steps to fight violence," Syamsuddin told a news conference here Sunday.

Religious leaders who have confirmed their attendance include Ven. Master Chin Kung of Amitabha Buddhist Society (Australia), Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Taskhiri, secretary general of the Global Assembly for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought (Iran), and Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran who is president of the Pontifical Council for interreligious Dialogue of the Holy See.

Also present will be political leaders including Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, Timor Leste President Xanana Gusmao, former Tunis prime minister Hedi Baccaoche and Amina Rasul-Bernardo, lead convener of the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy.

With a handful of prominent business leaders, media figures and top academics, the participants will also discuss how to address the root causes of violence, and how politicians, religious and civil society groups and the media can work hand in hand to solve the problems.

"Violence is a reality, but what can we done? We will try to come up with practical solutions to solve the problems," Din said.

The conference will be the second world forum organized by Muhammadiyah to involve religious and political leaders in addressing world problems, after it first gathered more than 100 similar figures in 2006.

The upcoming event has, however, been overshadowed by the Indonesian government's recent decree banning all religious activities of the Islamic minority sect, Jamaah Ahmadiyah, which was deemed "heretical" by a government panel.

The decree came after a brutal attack by a Islamic radical group on pro-pluralism activists who rallied in support of Ahmadiyah.

At least 70 people were injured when the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) members used bamboo sticks to attack activists from the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion.

Muslim scholars and political observers said, as major moderate groups, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah should have prevented such an attack and the subsequent issuance of the anti-Ahmadiyah decree.

Popular

RI, Australia strengthen partnership on taxing crypto assets

Analysis: Indonesia denies normalization with Israel to enter OECD

Citroen to produce electric cars in Indonesia