Libforall Leadership Promotes Peaceful and Tolerant Islam

JAKARTA, INDONESIA ~ Former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid and Ahmad Dhani co-hosted a nationally-televised Ramadhan dialogue entitled "Searching for the Truth; Searching for the True Islam." The event was accompanied by an exhibit of Islamic art held on October 19, 2005 at the Puri Agung grand ballroom of the Sahid Jaya Hotel in downtown Jakarta.

 

Banner proclaiming: "Be peaceful, for the sake of humanity"

 

Libforall board member and rock star Ahmad Dhani being interviewed for TV in front of a painting by Indonesian artist Khoirunnisa Affandy, which depicts a symbol from the cover of Dhani and his group Dewa's album Laskar Cinta ("Warriors of Love").

 

 

 The widely-publicized event was co-sponsored by Dewa Management and the legislative faction of PKB (National Development Party), a major Indonesian political party with its roots in the world's largest Muslim organization, the Nahdlatul Ulama, which has nearly 40 million members.
PKB head A. Muhaimin Iskandar opened the event with a speech on the importance of religious pluralism and tolerance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abd Moqsith Ghazali (right), an expert in Islamic jurisprudence whose writings have been translated by Libforall Foundation, acted as moderator. Dialogue participants included (from right to left, after Ghazali): Jalaluddin Rahmat, a leading Shi'ite scholar; PKB founder, Libforall patron and long-time head of the Nahdlatul Ulama, Abdurrahman Wahid; and Libforall board member Ahmad Dhani.

 
Among the many attendees were (left to right) Kikan (lead vocalist of the popular rock group Cokelat); Andra (Dewa's guitarist); Yuke (Dewa's bassist); unidentified; Libforall CEO Holland Taylor; and Yenni Wahid, head of the Wahid Institute.

 

 
 
 
 Widely published author Emha Ainun Najib (left, wearing black) enlivened the proceedings by rejecting and ridiculing ~ on national TV ~ recent attempts by hard-line, Wahhabi-inspired extremists to ban religious pluralism and dictate the course of Indonesian Islam.

 

Banner proclaiming: Islam is anti-violence.

(All photos on this page courtesy of Iwan S. B. Wibowo, of Dewa Management)