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ASEAN interreligious dialogue to focus on religious activism for peace
The ASEAN Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue Conference (IIDC) is scheduled for Aug. 7 in Jakarta, with an aim to push religion as a tool to foster peace and prosperity.
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Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chief Yahya Cholil Staquf (left) poses on Nov. 1, 2022, with World Muslim League secretary-general Syaikh Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al Issa during a press conference ahead of the Group of 20 Religion Forum (R20) in Nusa Dua, Bali. (Antara/Fikri Yusuf)
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ndonesia will host the ASEAN Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue Conference (IIDC) in Jakarta on Monday with the goal of fostering peace and harmony through religious activism amid the ongoing debate between religious freedom and freedom of expression.
The conference is organized by Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization. Around 200 participants are expected to participate in the event, including Phra Anil Sakya, a Buddhist scholar and monk from Thailand, and Orlando Beltran Quevedo, the former Archbishop of Cotabato in the Philippines.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo will open the event, which will also feature remarks from NU chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf, Foreign Minister Retno L.P. Marsudi and Harvard law professor and former United States ambassador to the Holy See Mary Ann Glendon.
The event carries the theme of “ASEAN Shared Civilizational Values: Building an Epicentrum of Harmony to Foster Peace, Security and Prosperity,” as NU aims to push religion as an active tool in fostering peace and security in Southeast Asia.
“We want to create the foundation of a religious civil society that supports ASEAN’s vision of being the epicenter of growth and creating long and short-term peace and security,” the event’s organizing committee chair Ahmad Suaedy told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Read also: R20 summit concludes with calls to modernize faith
The Monday conference is a continuation of the G20 Religious Forum (R20) summit held last November, which provided a self-reflection and self-criticism platform for religious groups.
