Interreligious Dialogue Reduces Negative Stigma: Shamsi Ali
Jakarta, MINA – President of the Nusantara Foundation of the United States Shamsi Ali said dialogue between all religions is an important bridge to reduce false stigma about understanding Islam.
“Dialogue between religions is important to reduce erroneous stigma about Islam,” Shamsi Ali said during a public discussion on the theme “Islamic Education in the US” at @amerika, Pacific Place Mall, Jakarta on Friday.
Furthermore, when he arrived in America the first thing he did was to establish communication between all religious adherents.
According to him, Islam must be displayed as a religion that can establish relationships with anyone, because Islam is rahmatan lil’alamin, meaning that in Islam it is required to do good to one another of Lord’s creatures.
“And thank Lord the American people have understood the true Islam and can even with other religions,” he said.
Moreover, Shamsi Ali said America is a secular country but different from secular countries in Western Europe. In America, even though it is a secular state, religious freedom is protected by law and guaranteed by the country’s constitution.
“Political, racial, religious differences should not be made for us to be enemies but make it an opportunity to coexist well,” he said.
In addition, Shamsi Ali also told that through the Nusantara Foundation that he founded, the construction of the Nur Inka Nusantara Madani Pesantren (Islamic Boarding School) would be realized.
“Why pesantren, because Islam that is displayed in the international world today is no longer Islam that portrays democracy, freedom of human rights, also respect for women,” Shamsi said.
The pesantren will be built on 7.5 hectares of land and the laying of the first stone will be carried out in June 2020. Although it will only be built, but at this time, said Shamsi Ali, four buildings have been renovated.
“In Indonesia, we can combine religious values and modernity values. Therefore, I built a boarding school as an introduction to Islam and Indonesia to the American community, “he concluded. (T/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
