The FKUB National Conference aims to show the international world that Indonesia, especially Riau Islands, upholds harmony, acting head of Riau Islands province's Political and National Unity Agency, Said Sudrajat, said here on Monday.
"We are striving for harmony because any religion in the world brings virtue so that there should be no conflict between religious groups," he added while leading a preparatory meeting to discuss the conference’s implementation.
Sudrajat said that the meeting discussed accommodation, transportation, and some other breakthroughs prepared by the provincial government to make the conference a success.
The province's regional office of the Religious Affairs Ministry, especially the Center for Religious Harmony (PKUB), is expected to participate in supporting and synergizing the event.
"This event is also a momentum to introduce FKUB at the national, and even, international levels," Sudrajat said.
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Meanwhile, head of the Religious Affairs Ministry's Riau Islands regional office, Mahbub Daryanto, said that the 7th national conference can serve as a momentum for strengthening the implementation of religious moderation, in accordance with the ministry's program.
According to Daryanto, the aim of strengthening religious moderation is realizing a society that emphasizes harmony between religious communities.
"This is the right momentum to strengthen and implement religious moderation," he said.
Meanwhile, FKUB must be at the forefront of educating the public about the importance of strengthening national commitment and tolerance for one another, the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs stated.
"Despite the cultural and religious differences, (one must) reject acts or means of violence, both physical and verbal, and respect local and diverse traditions and cultures," a ministry official explained during the 6th FKUB National Conference in Manado, North Sulawesi, in November 2021.
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Translator: Ogen, Kenzu T
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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