resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo arranged a meeting between King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia and Indonesian interfaith figures on Friday in Jakarta to discuss socio-religious issues.
Twenty-eight interfaith figures representing various religions, such as Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, and Confucianism, attended the historic meeting, according to State Palace media bureau head Bey Triadi Machmudin.
Previously, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Syaifuddin said the meeting aimed to send a message of peace to the world that religions should not be used as a tool to achieve political goals that could lead to extremism, radicalism and terrorism.
“This is something that we are now preparing. We will make use of King Salman’s state visit to hold an interfaith dialogue to build a shared understanding on how to fight extremism,” Lukman said.
(Read also: King Salman to meet interfaith leaders in Jakarta: Minister)
Lukman said the meeting would encourage religious moderation so that people around the world could understand the benefits of religion for maintaining the world's civilizations.
King Salman met the religious leaders of various faiths during his 12-day visit of Indonesia, the longest leg of his month-long tour of Asia. (dan)
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