Secretary General of MWL, Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, said that Indonesia's religious and cultural diversity is a source of strength, not conflict.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Secretary General of MWL (Muslim World League / Rabitah al-‘Alam al-Islami) Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa praised Indonesia as one of the countries with the best practices of harmony in the world.

Secretary General of MWL made the remark during the Interfaith Harmony Dialogue held by the Center for Interfaith Harmony (PKUB) at the H.M. Rasjidi Hall, Jakarta, on Saturday.

The event was attended by more than 350 participants, including Indonesia’s Deputy Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly Hidayat Nur Wahid, and leaders of religious councils and interfaith figures in Indonesia.

A Model of Religious Harmony

Sheikh Al-Issa stated that Indonesia's religious and cultural diversity is a source of strength, not conflict.

"It is impossible for all humans to share the same religious or intellectual beliefs. However, in Indonesia, the values ​​of awareness and respect between religious adherents are growing, and they are worthy of emulation by other countries," he said.

He emphasized that interfaith dialogue would only be successful if it is based on shared principles, carried out by people who deeply understand religious teachings, and oriented towards concrete action.

"When we believe in interfaith dialogue, we believe in the existence of divine decree, divine law, which has established the inevitability of differences and diversity among humanity," he said.

Sheikh Al-Issa also reminded that extremism arises from a lack of awareness. Therefore, early character education and the role models of religious leaders are key to fostering peaceful behavior.

Spiritual Awareness and Ecotheology

The Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs, Nasaruddin Umar, stated that harmony in Indonesia is not only built through social dialogue, but also through spiritual awareness that honors human dignity.

“Indonesia has grown into a garden of faith. Calls to prayer (adzan) are recited and bells ring in harmony. This is not just tolerance, but a mature and civilized expression of faith,” the minister noted.

He also emphasized that true harmony is not only built horizontally among religious communities, but also vertically through human relationships with nature.

According to him, the ongoing environmental damage, including the floods that have hit Indonesia’s provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, is a sign that humans have neglected God's mandate to care for the earth.

“Destroying nature means betraying God's message. The environmental crisis we are witnessing is a call for humans to improve their spiritual relationship with the earth,” the minister said.

He emphasized that ecotheology should be the moral foundation of interfaith dialogue in addressing the increasingly intense climate crisis and ecological disasters.

Reporting by Indonesia Window