The activity, which was held as part of the 77th anniversary commemoration of Indonesian independence, was carried out on the deck of Semarang-594 warship, which made a voyage from the Military Seaborne Command Pier, Tanjung Priok, to Jakarta Bay, led by the Navy's Chief of Staff, Admiral Yudo Margono.
Interfaith leaders from six recognized religions in Indonesia—Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism—took part in the prayer and the scattering of flowers.
"This afternoon, we are on the deck of on-voyage Semarang Warship, to pray together," Admiral Margono remarked after scattering flowers at sea on Friday afternoon.
"We carry out a joint prayer, of course, this prayer is to express gratitude to God Almighty for the 77 years of Indonesian independence that we have enjoyed together. We pray for our predecessors, heroes, and warriors who have fought for Indonesian independence by scattering flowers at sea," he said.
The Navy and interfaith leaders also prayed that the COVID-19 pandemic would end soon so that Indonesia can recover faster and rise stronger, Margono added.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chairman for Da'wah and Ukhuwah, KH M. Cholil Nafis, said that independence cannot be separated from the services of heroes who died on the battlefield.
"We believe that different religions are the strength to continue to celebrate independence and achieve the ideals of this nation's founders to realize welfare, peace, and security," he added.
The interfaith prayer and flower scattering activity were themed “Building Maritime Glory and Tolerance for Indonesia to Recover Faster, Rise Stronger.”
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Translator: Syaiful H, Kenzu T
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
