Indonesia hosts regional seminar on Muslim society development

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia is hosting an international seminar as part of the 50th Senior Officials Meeting of the Ministers of Religious Affairs of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore (MABIMS) to exchange best practices in promoting a civilized Muslim society.

Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN Jakarta), in collaboration with the Ministry of Religious Affairs, organized the seminar in Jakarta on Monday.

"Our involvement reflects UIN Jakarta's commitment to contributing to the Ministry of Religious Affairs' agenda, particularly in strengthening international Islamic cooperation," UIN Jakarta Rector Asep Saepudin Jahar said.

He said the university was committed to supporting Indonesia's Islamic diplomacy efforts by promoting dialogue among countries and strengthening academic contributions to Islamic cooperation in Southeast Asia.

Jahar also described the initiative as an opportunity for UIN Jakarta to enhance its academic and institutional capacity in advancing shared interests.

"The role of higher education institutions extends beyond education, research, and community service. We can also make concrete contributions to strengthening religious diplomacy and international relations," he said.

Imam Syaukani, head of the ministry's legal and international cooperation bureau, said that the seminar is one of the key agenda items of the 50th MABIMS meeting.

The seminar featured four speakers representing MABIMS member countries, providing a platform for the exchange of ideas, experiences, and best practices in formulating models of a civilized Muslim society relevant to communities across Southeast Asia.

Running from Nov. 1 to 4, the 50th meeting is also attended by observer countries, namely Timor-Leste, Thailand, the Philippines, and Myanmar.

Monday's seminar will be followed by a series of sessions through Nov. 3, focusing on four strategic issues, youth development, education and religion, socioeconomic harmonization, and regional harmony.

Each delegation will present reports on the issues under discussion to facilitate the exchange of experiences and best practices.

The discussions will also cover emerging developments in member countries to formulate collaborative measures aimed at improving the well-being of Muslim communities.

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Translator: Asep F, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Primayanti
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