Second Secretary for information, social and cultural affairs at the Indonesian embassy in Moscow Enjay Diana told Antara`s London correspondent on Tuesday that seven Indonesians visited Russia to follow the first dialog in the history of Indonesia and Russia.
The seven students from the State Islamic University of Syarif Hidayatullah and the Al-Azhar University in Jakarta, were in the company of Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim, Assistant Rector for institutional development and chairman of Dirasat Islamiah study program of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah in Jakarta Willy Oktaviano Syahruddin.
In the program the students had a dialog on Islam, its history and developments in the two countries, and the role of education and Islamic young generation.
Some of the themes in the discussions like Islam and Pop Culture: Indonesian and Russian Students Experiences, How can Young Muslim students Build a Better World, Challenges of Globalization: the Role of Students.
A cultural show was also held in which the Indonesian students introduced the angklung they specially brought to Kazan.
Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim said the short program was very beneficial to increasing the relations between the two countries.
He added that the program was one of the realization of the cooperation agreements between the state Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah of Jakarta and the Islamic University in Kazan signed in December 2009 in Jakarta.
During the program Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim had delivered several general lectures to Russian Islamic university students on Islam and its history and Islamic education in Indonesia.
Islam in Russia had been developing in the last 20 years following the fall of the Soviet Union. Islam entered Russia in the middle of the 7th century several years following the death of Prophet Muhammad.
"Not many Indonesians knew about Islamic in Russia. Therefore religious cooperation between the two countries could be promoted and developed for mutual understanding", Sudarnoto Abdul Halim said.
In the meantime, Indonesian ambassador to the Russian Federation Hamid Awaludin said that closer relations between the two countries could be developed by way of education and religion.
The Indonesian embassy in Moscow is cooperating with several relevant institutions both in Indonesia and Russia in holding programs in the sector, including cooperation between Islamic institutions of higher learning.
Hamid also fully supported the activities of the new student graduates. It is this that he called diplomacy rarely resorted to by many circles. (*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
