Lazuardi Global Islamic School became on Saturday the first Compassionate School in Indonesia following the signing of the Charter of Compassion and its inclusion in the list of Compassion Action International.

"This signing also marks the transformation of all Lazuardi schools into compassionate schools," Lazuardi Foundation chairman and Compassion Action International board member Haidar Bagir, who signed the charter, said in a statement. 

Lazuardi has 19 schools and partners across Indonesia. 

"Since its establishment, Lazuardi serves as a global Islamic school. As it now becomes Lazuardi Global Compassionate School, it doesn't mean it has removed its Islamic values. On the contrary, we are exploring the essence of Islam much further, since we believe that 'compassion,’ or 'rahmah' in Arabic, is the essence of the teachings of Islam brought by [Prophet Muhammad]," he added.

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Following the transformation, the school expects its graduates to be more compassionate to others, especially by lending a hand to those in need. 

"In this social media era, it is very easy for people to hate, blame and underestimate one another. By highlighting the principles of Islamic compassion, hopefully we can fix it," said Fitrop, who served as host of the signing event. 

The Charter for Compassion was previously signed in 2014 in Banyuwangi, East Java, which also became the first city of compassion in Indonesia. (kes)