TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Religious Affairs Suryadharma Ali said there would be no Shiites mandated to sign a pledge of conversion in the reconciliation process. He said that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono himself had ordered for the Shite-Sunni reconciliation to be done through dialogues, perception, and enlightenment.
"I am very sure that there will be no coercion. This has been agreed by both parties," said Suryadharma when met at the State Palace, Tuesday, August 13.
The minister also denied reports that the local government insisted on making the Sampang Shiites sign the pledge to repent convert to Islam. The Government, he said, entrusted the reconciliation process to the Rector of the National Islamic Institute of Sunan Ampel, Abdul A'la.
The reconciliation team, Minister Suryadhama said, will hold a dialogue between the Shiites and the Sunnis, giving them the opportunity to clear-out any misunderstanding.
FRANSISCO ROSARIANS
