Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar called for more intensive engagement and sustained programs among member states of MABIMS, a grouping of religious affairs ministers from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
“We must not allow our meetings to take place only once a year, with no follow-up until we meet again the next year. What we need is intensive communication and continued cooperation,” Umar said in Jakarta on Sunday (Nov 1).
He made the remarks while welcoming delegations from MABIMS member states to the 50th MABIMS Senior Officials Meeting organized by the ministry and Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta, according to a statement received on Monday.
Umar said the four countries are bound not only by geographical proximity and cultural affinity but also by strong historical and intellectual ties rooted in shared scholarly traditions.
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He said those close ties provide a solid foundation for strengthening brotherhood, fostering interfaith harmony, and collectively promoting peace in Southeast Asia.
With that in mind, he called on MABIMS member states to formulate concrete criteria for a civilized Muslim society in the region.
“The region best placed to embrace, nurture, preserve, and develop Islam is one that enjoys relative economic security, the greatest stability in terms of security, and the strongest potential in terms of natural resources,” Umar explained.
He also proposed establishing a hub to facilitate MABIMS cooperation on Muslim community development.
“This is one of the agenda items that we could consider and discuss together,” he added.
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The minister further emphasized the importance of conducting joint research, promoting knowledge exchange, improving human resource quality, and organizing international academic forums.
Meanwhile, the UIN Jakarta Rector Asep Saepudin Jahar said his institution is open to partnering with the ministry and higher education institutions in other MABIMS countries in promoting a civilized Muslim society.
“The role of higher education institutions extends beyond education, research, and community service. We can also make concrete contributions to strengthening religious diplomacy and international relations,” he stated.
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Translator: Asep, F, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Fransiska Ninditya
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