President Jokowi: Muslims Must Avoid Slanders, Provocation, Hatred
President Jokowi welcomes participants of The Prince Sultan ibn Abdul Aziz Alu Su’ud Al-Quran and Hadith Memorizing Competition at the State Palace, Jakarta, Thursday (22/3). (Photo by: Public Relations Division/Oji)
Moslems should always remember that Al-Qur’an is a guide that must be read, understood, and implemented in everyday life, according to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
“Al-Qur’an is a guideline that must be an integral part of our identity to pursue God’s path full of love, solidarity, and commitment to unity,” President Jokowi said when welcoming participants of the Prince Sultan ibn Abdul Aziz Alu Su’ud Al-Quran and Hadith Memorizing Competition (Musabaqah) at the State Palace, Jakarta, Thursday (22/3).
On that occasion, the President also reminded the participants that the Musabaqah should not only become ceremony, but also a medium to improve the skills on reciting, memorizing, and understanding Al Quran.
President Jokowi hopes that the Musabaqah will bring positive values for Indonesia, adding that Indonesia is a model for many countries in managing diversity since it has 714 ethnicities and more than 1,100 local languages while its people live together in harmony.
The President also stressed that Indonesian Moslems should avoid slander and hate speech, and should transmit their valuable experiences on maintaining harmony, unity, and peace to the world.
In the meantime, Minister of Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim Saifuddin in his report said that the 10th ASEAN-Pacific Al-Quran and Hadith Memorizing Competition is held in cooperation between attaché of Religious Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs.
The Minister added that this years Musabaqah is joined by 84 participants, consisting of 70 participants of Al-Quran Memorizing Competition and 14 participants of Hadith Memorizing Competition, along with 11 officials from 14 countries in ASEAN and the Pacific region.
“The Musabaqah is held at Istiqlal mosque, Jakarta, 20-22 March 2018,” Minister Lukman said, adding that every year Indonesia also organizes Prince Sultan ibn Aziz Alu Suud Al-Quran and Hadith Memorizing Competition at national level.
The year 2018 sees the 11th edition of the national competition and is joined by 130 male participants and 30 female participants from provinces across Indonesia.
Also present at the event were Minister of State Secretariat Pratikno, Minister of Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko, and Prince Khalid ibn Sultan ibn Abdul Aziz Alu Su’ud. (FID/OJI/ES) (RI/EP/Naster)
