Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The Unity in Diversity known as Bhineka Tunggal Ika is not just Indonesia’s national motto, but also reflects the character of the nation which has a variety of cultures, ethnicities and religions, which are solid in unity and integrity.
The meaning and practice of the Unity in Diversity became the focus of the national Muslim leader Prof. Din Syamsuddin when giving a statement at the High Level Conference of World Religious Leaders in Baku, Azerbaijan on November 14-15, 2019.
"We discussed a number of issues in this forum including that on the absence of peace, which is now posing a problem and challenge of the world," explained the Muhammadiyah leader in a statement received in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Muhamadiyah is the second largest Muslim organization in Indonesia after Nahdlatul Ulama.
"We share the experience of state life in Indonesia which is based on Pancasila with the motto Unity in Diversity, which now get the attention of the world community. The motto which is implemented by Indonesia with its pluralistic society is a solution for multicultural world life," he continued.
In his presentation, Prof. Din Syamsuddin conveyed several things that are practical in realizing peace and developing harmony among religious communities.
On the occasion, he talked about the need for joint efforts to build world peace like formulating the meeting point of various religions about multiculturalism and peaceful coexistence.
Prof. Din also explained the need for a middle path theology in which every religion has this teaching, and there should be an improved value from the dialogue of words to the dialogue of acts.
The dialogue of acts has been practiced by religious leaders in Indonesia in the form of interfaith cooperation in tackling natural disasters, as well as dealing with climate change and environmental issues.
At the end of the event initiated by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev together with the country's top religious figure Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, around 150 religious leaders from different countries and religions signed the Baku Declaration.
Reporting by Indonesia Window
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