Indonesia Holds Inter-Religious Week

Jakarta (Antara) - The Inter-Religious Council (IRC) for Indonesia organized the World Interfaith Harmony Week 2014, in the Muhammadiyah headquarters, Jakarta, in a bid to enhance mutual understanding among people belonging to different religions. "We are keen to establish harmonious interfaith movement and resolve problems through peaceful dialogues," noted Chairman of Inter Religious Council Indonesia (IRC) Slamet Effendy Yusuf here on Friday. Effendy emphasized that the outcomes of the dialogues should be followed by the people in their day-to-day lives to spread interfaith harmony. "People can initiate interfaith harmony in the education sector by paying friendly visits to other religious schools," added Effendy. He explained that the key to interfaith harmony in Indonesia is through nurturing a generation that understands and upholds the value of plurality in the country. Meanwhile, Executive Secretary of the Indonesian Bishops Conference Edy Purwanto remarked that inter-religious harmony should not only be observed when we conjugate but should also be a part of our core values and beliefs. "The harmony that is displayed today, should be the soul to foster the spirit of brotherhood in Indonesia," reported Edy. Edy added Indonesia has entered the pre-election phase, which is a very volatile period. He explained that the leader who will be elected after the next general elections is expected to bring prosperity to the people of the nation. He was hopeful that harmony, which has been built so far, was not as a product of pragmatism, but rather stemming from the common sincerity to unite Indonesia. The opening ceremony of the World Inter-faith Harmony Week showcased the art, dance, and music wealth of Indonesia. The interfaith organization will discuss a number of religious issues that had earlier surfaced, such as the difficulties faced in building houses of worship. (*)