"Sport is a universal language to express a desire or a purpose, and today we gathered and ran to express our moral, financial, and spiritual support for the Palestinian independence," the ministry's Deputy for Youth Empowerment, Asrorun Ni'am Sholeh, stated here.
As per the statement received from the ministry on Sunday, he said that participants in the event reflected the majority of Indonesians who support Palestinian independence.
Ni'am also said that expressing support for the Palestinians would be a meaningful action amidst the continued aggression and occupation of Palestine by Israel.
The ministry deputy then highlighted the story of Abraham, or Prophet Ibrahim as known by Muslims, who was burned alive by the evil king Nimrod. While Ibrahim was at the stake, according to the story, ants formed a chain to extinguish the flame, but they were ridiculed by other animals who questioned whether the act would save Ibrahim.
The story, he said, allows people to learn that the question is not about the effectiveness of the action, but rather about the stance people take on the oppression happening before their eyes.
"We hope our presence today will be akin to the ants (that helped) Ibrahim, who would strengthen the push for Palestinian independence," Ni'am remarked.
The "Indonesia Run for Palestine" event was organised on Sunday morning by the National Alms Agency (Baznas) with the support of the ministry, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), and the Religious Affairs Ministry. The opening ceremony took place at the Youth and Sports Ministry complex.
During the charity run event, organised to commemorate Baznas' 23rd anniversary, participants ran in a 5.5-kilometre route within the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex in Central Jakarta.
Participants in the event, after completing the run, also gave donations for the people of Palestine.
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Translator: Fajar Satriyo, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
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