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RI invites 50 ulemas to promote tolerant Islam
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For peace and harmony: President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (left) talks to former Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin (right) during a press conference at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Oct. 23, 2017, after the latter's appointment as presidential special envoy for inter-religion dialogue and partnership. (Antara/Puspa Perwitasari)
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he government will bring 50 ulemas from various countries to attend a High Level Consultation of World Muslim Ulemas and Islamic Scholars in Bogor, West Java, which is scheduled to be held in May.
Presidential special envoy for inter-religion dialogue and partnership Din Syamsuddin said in the conference, Indonesia would promote an Islam that was moderate and tolerant to the world. He was speaking after he reported progress of the preparation of the meeting to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Thursday.
President Jokowi is scheduled to open the conference at Bogor Palace on May 1. Vice President Jusuf Kalla will attend the closing ceremony scheduled for May 3.
“This activity is the implementation of one of my mandates as a presidential envoy,” Din said as quoted by kompas.com.
The former chairman of Indonesia’s second-largest Islamic organization, Muhammadiyah, said as an envoy, he was mandated to promote Al-Wasatiyyah (moderation) as the agenda of Muslims in Indonesia that was based on the principle of Islam as “rahmatan lil’alamin”, or “blessing for the whole world and its content”.
“This is Islam that takes a middle road with its characteristics: moderate, tolerant, open and many others,” said Din.
He said some of the ulemas to be invited were not from Muslim-majority countries, such as Canada, China, Japan, South Korea and the United States. Around 50 ulemas representing various organizations in Indonesia will also be invited to attend the conference.
“We will invite them all regardless of which groups they come from and what sect their teachings belong to,” said Din. (ebf)
