Held at the main campus of the Miftahul Huda Islamic boarding school, the festival celebrated the end of the exam season for students of West java schools affiliated to Miftahul Huda.
The celebrations included speech contests and talent shows performed by the students from the various boarding schools.
Dauer addressed a crowd of nearly 1,000 students, teachers and families. He spoke about the recently completed second U.S.-Indonesia Joint Commission Meeting in Bali that was attended by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.
Dauer explained how events like the one at the Miftahul Huda were outstanding opportunities to build cultural ties between the people of Indonesia and America. Dauer also told the crowd about how the Islamic community in America was eagerly preparing for the holy month of Ramadan, an event now widely known and respected by Americans of many faiths.
The Miftahul Huda Islamic boarding school in Tasikmalaya is the main campus of a network of over 1,200 Islamic boarding schools and tens of thousands of students throughout Indonesia.
After his address, Dauer discussed avenues for possible cooperation between the Miftahul Huda network of schools, alumni associations, and NGOs and the U.S. Embassy in the areas of entrepreneurship, cultural exchange, and environmental protection.
Aziz Affendy, the principal of the Miftahul Huda main campus in Tasikmalaya, said that more Embassy interaction at the grass roots level like the event on July 26 was an important way to build a lasting partnership between the United States and Indonesia.
(Tx.A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
