Minister expects people not be confused by terminology

Educational Minister Muhammad Nuh expected people would not be easily provoked by the idea of honoring national identities as compared with praising religious concepts, as some schools and a community radio allegedly had recently done.

“Please distinguish the ideas of praising and honoring. Praising is a religious term, while honoring is more profane,” Nuh said Sunday, as quoted by kompas.com.

He said the ministry intended to hold a dialog with school administrators to avoid further misunderstandings concerning the concepts.

Two schools in Karanganyar, Central Java, had omitted flag-raising ceremonies as they concluded the practice was against Islamic principles. A community radio station in Balikpapan had also went against the law by not airing the Indonesian national anthem during the opening and the conclusion of its daily operations.