Indonesia Participates in Moderate Islam Conference in Iraq

Jakarta, MINA — Jakarta (ANTARA News) – Indonesia is participating in the International Conference on Moderate Islam organized by the Sunni Waqf Council of the Republic of Iraq on June 25-27, 2018, in Iraq.

According to a press release received by ANTARA here on Monday, the Indonesian delegation left for Baghdad on Sunday (June 24).

The Indonesian delegation comprised Muchlis M. Hanafi, head of the delegation, representing Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin; Muhyiddin Junaidi from the Indonesian Ulema Council; Ikhwanul Kiram Masyhuri, an alumni of Al Azhar; Saiful Mustafa from the Islami State University in Malang, East Java; Fathir H. Hambali, an academician; Auliya Khasanofa from Muhammadiyah; and Thobib Al Asyhar from the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

“I represent Minister of Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim Saifuddin as the head of the delegation,” Hanafi noted.

According to Hanafi, the Indonesian government has committed to supporting Iraq`s rebuilding efforts, both in political and economic fields.

“We hope the future would be more intense, especially in developing moderate religious understanding,” he emphasized.

The armed group ISIS.

At the conference, Hanafi will deliver a speech on a world without the armed group ISIS.

According to Hanafi, after the defeat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, several countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia are now being haunted by the return of ISIS fighters to their home countries.

Being pressed in Iraq and Syria, he believes that ISIS cells will spread to some countries with extreme radical thinking and expertise in strategizing.

“It is not possible that they transfer their thoughts and expertise to extremists at the local level,” he noted.

In that context, Hanafi asserted the need for international cooperation in countering terrorism and extremism to prevent the emergence of a “new” ISIS.

The cooperation should at least aim to minimize ISIS` negative impacts and limit its spread, he added

In addition, he highlighted the need to make attempts to clear misunderstandings of some basic concepts of Islam, especially those that have been misinterpreted to justify extremism and terrorism.

“Islamic countries should strengthen relations and join hands to counter such ideologies and fortify the younger generation not to fall into radical thinking,” he stated.

Through various programs, especially religious education, he remarked that the Indonesian government, with the support of Islamic mass organizations, is committed to continuously strengthening the moderation of Islam as a way of managing religiosity. (T/RS5/RS1).

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency *MINA)