"Political disputes should not erode national unity nor brotherhood between every citizen," Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Zainut Tauhid Sa’adi said in a statement received here on Friday.
Social segmentation often creates a divide among people, and even sparks hatred, especially during a political year, he noted.
Hence, people must adopt a moderate point of view and practices in order to take their differences into account while addressing national issues, Sa'adi added.
"Moderation in upholding beliefs becomes the middle ground, (that means we are) not doing the extreme or being excessive in everything," he explained.
Everything that is done in excess — for example, overly supporting or criticizing someone in cyberspace — often results in unpleasant consequences, he reminded.
Sa'adi said that a person or a group is considered to be following the middle ground if they do not consider people who think differently from them as enemies, but rather as partners to hold discussions with, and initiate development in spite of those differences.
"Although my opinion differs from yours, I will always respect and fight for your rights to express an opinion.’ Such is the example of a moderate stance toward differences," he explained.
A civilization would be moving backward if its people grow distant from each other due to differences in opinions, schools of thought, or political views, the deputy minister opined.
According to Sa'adi, people like that refuse to engage in dialogue with others, because they focus on defending their thoughts instead of focusing on their willingness to discuss with others.
"The spread of religious moderation in the education sector and social media is expected to neutralize any extreme tendencies in many aspects," the deputy minister added.
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Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Sri Haryati
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