Promoting Moderate Islam, Vice President Welcomes Abu Dhabi Forum For Peace Initiative

Jakarta, wapresri.go.id – Vice President Ma’ruf Amin received the Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace, Al-Mahfouz bin Bayyah, at the Vice President’s Official Residence, Jalan Diponegoro Number 2, Central Jakarta, Friday (29/07/2022).

In the meeting, Al-Mahfouz invited the Vice President to attend the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace which will be held in December 2022, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

He mentioned that the forum would be attended by around 500 invitees and 40 international organizations to jointly discuss important steps in achieving world peace, including various issues related to Islamic society and social affairs.

“Our visit is a directive from the Leader of the United Arab Emirates to meet you in order to follow up the agreements made with President Joko Widodo in his visit to Abu Dhabi (30 June – 1 July 2022), in order to promote cooperation between the two countries, especially in terms of improving education and Muslim Affairs in the international arena,” he explained.

In response to the invitation, the Vice President was honored and willing to attend the event. According to him, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates have a common vision for peace and tolerance of diversity.

“I express my gratitude, Jazakallah, for your visit. Hopefully, this meeting can provide many benefits for Muslims in various parts of the world, especially in promoting moderate Islam,” said the Vice President.

Furthermore, the Vice President pointed out that the Indonesian government also has a similar initiative in the form of the International Conference of Islamic Scholars (ICIS) for expanding moderate Islam together with world Muslim scholars.

“And, Indonesia has established the Indonesian International Islamic University (IIIU) that is also to promote moderate Islam,” he added.

Furthermore, the Vice President shared Indonesia’s experience in realizing a harmonious life through four frameworks.

“The first is the political framework, by strengthening the insight of the life of nation and state through a national agreement (al-mitsaq al-wathani) consisting of Pancasila as the basis of the state, the 1945 Constitution, and the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI),” defined the Vice President.

The second framework, he continued, is a sociocultural framework through the development of local wisdom supporting the culture of peace, tolerance, and harmony throughout Indonesia.

“The third is the juridical framework, by strengthening the regulation of religious life, law enforcement, and also mediation through the Religious Harmony Forum,” he added.

The fourth framework, the Vice President detailed, is developing a theological framework of harmony, not a theology of conflict, for mutual respect among religious communities, which was developed through an increasing public understanding of Islam as a blessing for the universe (rahmatan lil ‘alamin).

“In Indonesia, assemblies of ulema together with the government formed the Forum for Religious Harmony to maintain inter-religious concord and prevent conflicts, as well as resolve disputes,” he said.

During the meeting, the Vice President emphasized the importance of the Islamic world to expand cooperation in promoting Islam wasathiyah, encouraging inclusive dialogue as a solution to various conflicts, repudiating all radical and extreme thoughts that damage the image of Islam, as well as creating would-be Ulemas to spread the concept of Islam Wasathiyah throughout the world.

“The Islamic world needs to increase and expand cooperation in promoting the values and understanding of true and moderate Islam,” he stressed.

Also present at the meeting were UAE Ambassador to Indonesia Abdulla Salem Obaid AlDhaheri, Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi Forum Khalifah Adh-Dhahiri, Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Forum Aisyah Al-Ka’bi, International Cooperation Division of the Abu Dhabi Forum Rasyid Al-Minhali, Media and Information Division of the Abu Dhabi Forum Amany Muhammad, and the Rector of the State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta Amany Lubis.

Meanwhile, the Vice President was accompanied by the Head of the Secretariat of the Vice President Ahmad Erani Yustika, Special Staff of the Vice President Masduki Baidlowi, Masykuri Abdillah, and Lukman Hakim Siregar. (EP/DMA/LHS-BPMI Setwapres)