Indonesia’s Vice President on Monday called on Islamic leaders to spread messages about a tolerant Islam to curb extremism that often springs from misinterpretation of Islamic teachings.
Speaking at the opening of the International Summit of the Moderate Islamic leaders, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said he believes that youths who don’t have deep faith are susceptible to be militants, not for wealth or political cause, but rather as a “shortcut” to heaven.
“That’s why the role of Islamic clerics is needed to do more to correct the misinterpretation,” Kalla said. “We gather here today for that purpose, to produce the solution to curb radicalism in the form of terrorism, wars and conflicts.”
He added that the existence of 1.6 billion Muslims spread across 57 countries should become a force to promote the goodness of Islam.
The meeting organised by Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest Muslim organisation, is expected to produce a message about the importance of promoting a peaceful Islam to combat radicalism worldwide.