Indonesia to Reconstruct Grand Mosque in Philippines

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the government plans to rebuild a grand mosque in the Philippines, which was destroyed due to the Marawi crisis.

"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) ulema at Miftahul Huda Al Azhar Islamic boarding school in Citangkolo, Banjar Patroman, West Java, on Friday, March 1. 

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

ANTARA