REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Religious adherents in Indonesia live harmoniously, and they all have recognized religious holidays, Vice President Jusuf Kalla stated.
"Thank God, we can maintain our religious peaceful coexistence," the vice president remarked while delivering a sermon during an evening tarawih prayer at Sunda Kelapa Mosque in Central Jakarta on Sunday.
He said that there were six recognized religions in Indonesia, and the state has declared national holidays for all of them. The state has also recognized a religion whose adherents accounted for less than one percent of the Indonesian population.
In other continents, such as in Europe, the Muslim post-fasting month Eid al-Fitr celebrations are not recognized as a holiday although a small but significant number of Muslims live there, he pointed out.
In Central Java, the Borobudur Buddhist Temple stands gloriously and is respected as the country's Buddhist religion's shrine.
In the Middle East, the religion and language can be categorically said to be only one, yet there are many conflicts there, Kalla noted.
Early this month, Kalla had inaugurated the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace (ACRP) in Bandung, West Java.
During the conference, Kalla stated in his opening address that belief in God is the principle of different religions that should be implemented in the community and should not merely be discussed.
"Sometimes, there are differences in terms of belief in God, but it has the same objective, and it must be implemented instead of only being discussed," the vice president noted.
Kalla affirmed that peace was often expressed in words while greeting various religious communities, but he questioned the rampant acts of extremism on the pretext of religion.
He pointed out that the same objective had led to the Asian-African Conference in Bandung in 1955 and was considered successful in helping several countries escape from the clutches of invaders.
"As the Asian-African Conference had the objective of independence, hence after the conference, several Asian and African countries were freed from colonialism," remarked the vice president.
According to Kalla, interstate peace and harmony held such immense significance in Indonesia that the Buddhists' Enlightenment Day, or better known as Waisak, is observed as a national holiday despite Buddhism not being the majority religion.
"It is because the principle of belief in God, peace, and humanity is important," he noted.
In the meantime, ACRP President Din Syamsuddin lauded Vice President Kalla who initiated peace in Maluku in 1999 when a bloody religious conflict broke out in the province.
Din affirmed that Kalla not only initiated peace in the region but also continues to initiate reconciliation within the Golkar party and address the issue related to national football.
The Indonesian Ulema Council chairman noted that the threats of extremism, violence, and terrorism did not originate from religion but instead from the misinterpretation of religious principles.
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