VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The existence of the Indonesian diasporas in the United States of America, including the Muslim diasporas, is an important means and asset to build the Indonesian state and create a superior generation in the future in order they will not forget their nation's roots. This statement was made by Indonesian Ambassador to the United States of America, Rosan Perkasa Roeslani when officially opening the Indonesian Muslim Society in America (IMSA) – Malaysian Islamic Student Group (MISG) Conference in Los Angeles, United States on Sunday (26/12). Ambassador Rosan Roeslani said that Indonesian Muslims should be proud because so far they have been considered the friendly face of Islam, go hand in hand with modernity, democracy and uphold women's rights.

Meanwhile, in his remarks, President of IMSA, Aria Novianto expressed his appreciation for the consistent support of the Indonesian Representative. Diasporas from Demak, Central Java who have lived for decades in the United States, hoped that the congress, with the theme "Unity Through Community: Stronger Together", can bring many tangible benefits and further strengthen the ties of brotherhood.

The Indonesian Consul General in Los Angeles, Saud Putranto Krisnawan also emphasized the important role of the congress’ participants. He hoped that the participants of this congress could better understand the meaning and enhance unity, not only among Indonesian and Malaysian Muslims but also interfaith communities in the United States of America.

As reported by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Tuesday (28/12), that this year, IMSA-MISG Congress was attended by around 1,300 Indonesian and Malaysian Muslim diasporas. 700 of them are in the youth category, not only from the USA but also from Canada. This congress, in addition to containing various discussions to improve the role and quality of the Indonesian Muslim diasporas in the USA, also raised the agenda of empowering the younger generation and women, such as entrepreneurship. During the congress, the committee applied very strict Covid-19 health protocols. All congress participants were required to show proof of vaccination or negative evidence of a PCR test, including children.