"I had iftar (fast-breaking) at a market, and even in a church, because we need to continue to propagate Bhinneka Tunggal Ika in Indonesia," Sinta stated during the national dialogue and iftar organised by Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS), according to a statement here on Saturday.
Sinta, the widow of Indonesia's fourth president, the late Abdurrahman Wahid, said that she often moved door to door to invite residents for a collective suhur (pre-dawn meal) to encourage more Muslims to fast during Ramadan.
"It is to help Muslims in Indonesia experiencing religious rituals during Ramadan in the spirit of brotherhood," she said.
A lot of Muslims still perform their fast merely to pay off their religious obligations, she opined, while adding that collective suhur is one of her ways to remind fellow Muslims to contemplate whether their sawm (fasting) has been properly performed or not.
"Rather than organising an iftar but its participants are not fasting, I think it is better to organise collective suhur instead to encourage them to perform the fasting," Sinta said.
The former first lady also highlighted the late president had persevered throughout his life to respect diversity because "diversity is the strength of national identity that should not be removed."
Meanwhile, ITS Directorate of Student Affairs' Student Development Subdirectorate head, Yeyes Mulyadi, said that the national dialogue with the former first lady is organised to enhance the university's atmosphere as a campus that respects diversity.
He said that Wahid has been living proof that education is not about knowledge alone, but is also about values ingrained in each individual.
"It is important to develop the values of Pancasila by nurturing the values of mutual cooperation and tolerance within the campus," Mulyadi noted.
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Translator: Willi Irawan, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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