Jakarta, wapresri.go.id – One of the challenges faced by Muslims today is how to enlighten people who are affected by Islamophobia (anti-Islam). Therefore, Islamic Book Fair 2022 was expected to increase public understanding of Islamic values, including those who are against Islam.

“Through this Book Fair we want to encourage (people’s) reading interest to be more stimulated and knowledge about Islam from various angles is increasingly mattered,” said Vice President K.H. Ma’ruf Amin when visited the Islamic Book Fair 2020 and attended the Panel Discussion organized by the Al-Muslimin Hukama Council in Hall A Jakarta Convention Center, Jl. Gatot Subroto No. 1, Central Jakarta, Friday (05/08/2022).

Furthermore, the Vice President said that in addition to the Islamophobic challenges from external, other challenges also came from among the Muslims themselves, namely the existence of extreme understanding of Islam.

“There are actually two sides (of challenges), on the one hand, there are extreme (adherents of) Islam, on the other there is also anti-Islam or Islamophobia,” he said.

For this reason, the Vice President believed that the publication of Islamic books through the Islamic Book Fair this time would be able to address these two challenges.

“(Adherents of) Islam who are excessively extreme can be enlightened, Islamophobia will also disappear because they understand the true Islamic value,” he hoped.

Furthermore, the Vice President also hoped that the Islamic Book Fair 2022 could become a medium to develop a moderate understanding of Islam (wasathi).

“We must develop the understanding of wasathi Islam through collaboration between the government and Islamic organizations such as the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Muhammadiyah, Nahdlatul Ulama, and other mass organizations,” he said.

The Vice President said, MUI has initiated the realization of an Islamic da’wah center that integrates Islamic organizations with governmental institutions. This integrated action was expected to carry out a more massive movement in disseminating the understanding of moderate Islam.

“It is more organized so that all of them are in the same (movement), we target those who are still in massive groups in order to counter the radicalism and terrorism,” concluded the Vice President. (SM/LHS,-BPMI Setwapres)