Yaqut Cholil Qoumas Invites Students To Become Religious Moderation Agents In Today's Memory, 31 August 2021

Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, who served as Minister of Religion for the 2020-2024 era. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA Memories of today, four years ago, 31 August 2021, Minister of Religion (Menag), Yaqut Cholil Qoumas invites all Indonesian students to become agents of religious moderation. This desire is so that peace between religious communities is maintained.

Previously, Indonesia was known as a country that upholds diversity. This condition was later injured by the emergence of blind fanatical groups in religion. They try to view their religion as the best and think badly of other religions.

Andil Pancasila is Indonesia's highest marker of respecting diversity, there is no doubt. The second principle that reveals just and civilized humanity is his affirmation.

Diversity is also echoed as the key to Indonesia's great strength. The narrative about diversity continues to be voiced by national figures. However, recently began to be attached to blind religious groups.

Most of them want to be exclusive in Indonesia. They consider their religion to be higher in Indonesia. This condition makes people of other religions considered low. Sometimes it also leads to the destruction of places of religion to the emergence of acts of terror.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) immediately responded to what happened. Jokowi began to raise the importance of religious moderation in Indonesia. Religious moderation itself is known as an attitude so that people are not blind and respect differences.

Religious moderation itself is trying to be echoed so that the philosophy of Bhinneka is single, is different but one is also imitated. This realization is seen in the form of inviting the Indonesian people to see important points of diversity: unity and integrity.

"Tolerance is a very important part of religious moderation. Exclusivity and closedness are clearly not in accordance with Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. Obviously this is a major crime against humanity that threatens our harmony in the nation and state," said Jokowi at the National Conference (Munas) Alim Ulama National Awakening Party (PKB), at the State Palace as quoted on the State Secretariat website, April 8, 2021.

Minister of Religion, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas then continued Jokowi's wish. Yaqut wants all elements of society to be involved in spreading the spirit of religious moderation. Yaqut also began to invite all Indonesian students to become religious moderation agents on August 31, 2021.

He wants students to fight for a harmonious and peaceful social climate. This condition makes them the future generation of Indonesia who fight for Indonesia's diversity.

I hope that new students become religious moderation agents in the midst of the diversity of the nation. Islamic students must participate and pioneer a moderation culture to create a harmonious and peaceful social climate. In addition to being equipped with a set of sciences, students are given greater moral responsibility.

"The increase has the hope of the community as an agency of change. Many major changes in this country are pioneered by students. Students as millennials as the millennial generation, as the main guards of Pancasila values, philosophy of the nation's life. Pancasila is a source of inspiration for the realization of religious moderation which we are currently echoing," said Yaqut in the virtual UIN Raden Intan Lampung (RIL) as quoted by pageradenintan.ac.id, August 31, 2021.