President asks minister to hold character building summit

Antara News, Wednesday, March 24, 2010 19:46 WIB

Makassar, S Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has asked Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali to hold the nation character building summit by inviting among others religious figures.

"I received an instruction from the president to gather religious affairs leaders, scholars and community leaders to discuss nation character building," minister Suryadharma said in a dialogue at the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) 32nd congress here on Wednesday.

The president opened the 32nd national congress of the country`s largest Islamic organization in Makassar on Tuesday.

The minister said, the importance to discuss character building issue is due to the globalization development feared to cause the religious joints and moral degradation, so that the character building formed from religious values and cultural norms degrading.

In addition, some discrepancies in religious education services in certain places such as in provinces and districts also happened. For instance in the provinces of Papua, Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara (NTB) and North Sulawesi where the Islamic believers are minority.

Relating to such issue, NU as a major Islamic mass organization deserves to give special attention to overcome the problem, as well as to help the government in reducing inequality of Islamic religious education in the minority areas, he said.

"We hope NU can play an active role and the Religious Affairs Minister is prepared to provide facilities," he disclosed, adding that scholarship is a form of assistance in education given to the minority residents.

Unfortunately, those who have completed their education through the scholarships abroad or in the excellent schools, were reluctant to return to their region to apply their knowledge, the minister said.