Indonesia to rebuild grand mosque in Philippines

WEST JAVA, Mar 2, 2019, ANTARA News. The Indonesian government plans to rebuild a grand mosque in the Philippines, which was destroyed due to the Marawi crisis, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said, reported the ANTARA.

“The President (Joko Widodo) has agreed to help [with] the reconstruction of the grand mosque which was destroyed due to a war in Marawi. This is very important to prove [that] Indonesia always plays a good role,” Kalla said while closing the national conference of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) ulemas at Miftahul Huda Al Azhar Islamic boarding school in Citangkolo, Banjar Patroman, West Java, on Friday.

Conflicts occurred in a number of Islamic countries due to the unjust treatment of certain society groups, he said.

“If we look at the Islamic world today, (conflicts) are inseparable from the issues of sovereignty and injustice, leading to war. The same is also true with countries within ASEAN. In the Philippines, Alhamdulillah (thank God), the problem has almost been settled,” he said.

The Indonesian government`s plan to reconstruct the grand mosque in the Philippines reflects its eagerness to help solve religious conflicts in ASEAN member states, he said.

As a predominantly Muslim country, Indonesia plays an important role in creating peace in conflict-plagued areas, including those in South Thailand, Myanmar and the Philippines, he said.

Reporting by Fransiska Ninditya