"We urge them to convey religious messages that are enlightening and calming, avoiding any potential for conflict and societal divisions," Amin said.
He said that the ministry now has an institution called the National Islamic Preachers Council (MDK) that houses around 12,000 Islamic preachers across Indonesia.
There are three points on MDK's road map, Amin said. First, using dakwah (Islamic preaching) to target urban communities.
He said that MDK administrators and members should prepare a special strategy for conveying dakwah to dynamic urban communities.
Second, dakwah must target young people. He said that the younger generation, consisting of the millennial and Z generations, accounts for 52 percent of Indonesia's total population.
Finally, the preachers must also deliver Islamic preaching progressively, without dwelling on ritualistic themes alone, he said.
Without abandoning ritualistic themes, society must be enlightened on various contemporary issues using a religious approach, Amin added.
Amin, who is also a professor of hadith science at State Islamic University (UIN) Alauddin Makassar, said that Islamic preachers, especially those who are MDK members, should make religion a social glue.
Islamic preachers, he observed, do have different political views, and this is their right. However, they should promote peace in their preaching.
"That is the message we continuously convey so that they remain neutral. The problem is that in society, there are also combinations of political views," he added.
Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas has acknowledged the complex challenges religious leaders will face in serving diverse communities in the coming years.
He expressed hope that the MDK, as a government partner, would contribute ideas to move together to protect diversity, create harmony, and build moderation in religious, national, and state life.
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Translator: Asep F, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Anton Santoso
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