Religious Leaders, Community Play Significant Role to World Peace

Jakarta – Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the opening of the R20 International Religious Authority Summit, on Monday, at the Park Hyatt Hotel Ballroom, Jakarta. 

The Head of State welcomed the presence of religious leaders and delegates who actively worked to strengthen world peace and bridge differences with Indonesia.

"Because it does not make sense, it does not make sense in our conscience, in a super modern world like today there are still war that take the lives of civilians, that take the lives of women and children," the President said in his remarks on Monday. 

Indonesia believes that independence is the right of all nations and this is explicitly stated in the Indonesian constitution, President Jokowi continued.  

"The humanitarian tragedy in Palestine cannot be tolerated at all. A ceasefire must be immediately implemented, humanitarian assistance must be accelerated, and peace talks must begin immediately," 

The President remarked that Indonesia also has a long experience in knitting diversity, bridging differences, and uniting plurality. 

He mentioned that Indonesia currently has a population of nearly 280 million people, consists of 714 tribes, more than 1,300 local languages or regional languages, embraces different religions, and lives spread across 17 thousand islands in Indonesia.

"It's not easy to unite them, but we can. And, we are grateful that Indonesia can reduce ego, can reduce erode religious ego, can decrease regional ego, to realize Bhinneka Tunggal Ika," the President said. 

According to the President, this cannot be realized if it’s not supported by religious teachings. Unity will also not be realized if it is not supported by religious leaders who teach that love for the country is part of faith, tolerance for differences is part of faith, and maintaining unity is also part of faith.

Furthermore, President Widodo said that Indonesia believes that the role of religion, the role of religious leaders, and the community is very important in creating peace, in creating harmony and togetherness, both within a country, within the region, and the world.

"Let us conduct interfaith, inter-national dialogues to bridge differences and stop all forms of disputes so that we can realize a peaceful world together," the President said. 

Also presented in the event, Minister of Religious Affairs; Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Retno Marsudi, Director of the World Muslim League for Indonesia and ASEAN; Abdurrahman Al-Khayyat, Chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU); Yahya Cholil Staquf, Katib Aam PBNU; K.H. Ahmad Said Asrori, and Jakarta Acting Governor; Heru Budi Hartono.

Then, Minister of Manpower; Ida Fauziyah, Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform; Abdullah Azwar Anas, Head of the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency (BPIP); Yudian Wahyudi also presented the event.