Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Berlin

PEACE MEET: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono delivers the opening address at the World Peace Forum in Jakarta on Wednesday. The forum will run until Thursday. (JP/R. Bertho Wedhatama)

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday opened a three-day World Peace Forum in Jakarta that will bring together hundreds of world leaders to discuss the issue of religious violence.

The event is being co-hosted by Muhammadiyah (Indonesia's second largest Islamic organization), the Center for Dialogue and Cooperation among Civilizations and the Cheng Ho Multi-Culture Trust.

Some 200 prominent figures from religious, political, business and media backgrounds are attending the event.

"There is always hope for peace no matter how difficult the situation is," Yudhoyono said, citing examples of conflicts in Southeast Asia, including the decades-long domestic conflict in Aceh.

He said many religious-based conflicts had been triggered by political, economic and social issues.

"Therefore, we should foster a culture of peace especially among the youth, and teachers should instruct on the instruments of peace, including dialogue, negotiation and confidence building."

After Yudhoyono delivered his speech, anti-violence messages by a host of former and current world leaders were read aloud or conveyed via video.

They included former Soviet Union president Mikhail Gorbachev, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and Dutch Prime Minister Jan Balkenende.

"We should focus on what joins us rather than what separates us," Rudd said.

Political leaders who have confirmed their attendance at the event include Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, Timor Leste President Xanana Gusmao, former Tunis prime minister Hedi Baccaoche and Amina Rasul-Bernardo, the lead convener of the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy.

The participants will discuss how politicians and religious and civil society groups can work together to prevent violence.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla will close the forum on Thursday.

Muhammadiyah also gathered more than 100 political figures in 2006 to discuss world issues.

However, this week's gathering has been overshadowed by the Indonesian government's decision to issue a decree banning Islamic minority sect Jamaah Ahmadiyah from all religious activities after a government panel deemed the group "heretical".

The decree came after a brutal attack by an Islamic radical group on pro-pluralism activists who rallied in support of Ahmadiyah.

Source : budpar.go.id