TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Religious Affairs Deputy Minister Zainut Tauhid called on religious leaders to put forth dialogues to talk of differences of views on greetings from other religions. Zainut opined debates on the matter must be halted shortly as it possibly disrupts the public harmony.

“All parties must stop debating greetings because it is feared that it may lead to misunderstandings and harm the harmony of living,” said Zainut in a written statement, Tuesday, November 12.

Zainut asserted that the ministry respected various views and opinions, both those who prohibited the use of inter-religious greetings and those who allowed it. Because, he reasoned, the issue was still in the corridor of tolerable differences.

The deputy minister then appealed to internal or interfaith religious leaders to establish a dialogue to discuss the matter in a family manner while promoting positive values.

“The spirit of religious harmony must be manifested through polite, harmonious attitudes and behaviors, tolerance, mutual respect, and accepting differences on religions,” Zainut remarked.

Earlier reported, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) of East Java office issued a circular letter No. 110/MUI/JTM/2019 in which advises Muslim to avoid using other religious greetings as it is a form of bid’ah (heresy) or at least a form of syubhat (doubtful), that was better for Muslim to against it.

FIKRI ARIGI