VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Today, October 22, 2018, the Indonesian nation commemorates National Santri Day. Since the National Santri Day was launched by President Joko Widodo in 2015, the government and the people have specifically organized various activities to commemorate the National Santri Day. The theme for this year's commemoration is "Being with Santri, Indonesian Peaceful” The commemorative peak was held in Bandung, West Java on Sunday night.

Of course, there is a strong reason why specifically stipulated October 22nd as National Santri Day. This cannot be separated from the struggle to maintain Indonesian independence which was proclaimed on August 17, 1945. History has noted that in achieving and maintaining Indonesian independence, the ulamas, kiai, and santri have a major role. The stipulation on October 22 is based on the Jihad Resolution presented by the founder of Nahdlatul Ulama, Kiai Haji Hasyim Asy'ari in Surabaya, East Java on October 22, 1945. Hasyim Asy'ari called on his students to join in the struggle to prevent Dutch troops from returning to Indonesia through ' Netherlands Indies Civil Administration '-NICA. Quoting President Joko Widodo's statement at the Santri Nusantara Grand Event in the context of 2018 National Santri Day in Solo Vastenburg Fortress, Central Java on Saturday night, the establishment of National Santri Day is a state respect and appreciation to the kiai, the ulema, the santri and all components of the nation who follow their good role models.

Being a santri means attending an Islamic education at Islamic boarding schools or Pesantren. Staying in the place until the education is complete has become the choice of some Indonesian people. The knowledge transfer is also more developed. Arabic and English become compulsory lessons in many Pesantrens today. In addition to the teachings of Islam, the students are taught to develop life skills and get vocational education. The goal is that students can become professional entrepreneurs in various fields. Santri and Pesantren continue to develop their major role not only in teaching Islam, but also as a socio-cultural institution in the formation of an ideal society. Islamic boarding schools have great potential to create new entrepreneurs and grow small and medium-sized industrial sectors.

With the enactment of the National Santri Day, this will further motivate the santri to strengthen their existence. As their predecessors did, they fought and maintained Indonesian independence. National Santri Day is expected to further strengthen the position of the santri in their major role of guarding the country, and the Unitary Republic of Indonesia. Being with Santri, Indonesian is peaceful. Happy National Santri Day!

Indonesian and Palestinian relations have been going on for a long time. Since Indonesia's independence on August 17, 1945, the Palestinians have supported it. But in fact, after World War II when many Asian-African countries gained independence, the Palestinians have lost their land rights to date.

Support for Palestinian independence has been strongly echoed when the Asian-African Conference was held in Bandung, West Java in 1955. Since then, Indonesia has kept sounding its support for Palestinian independence. To further emphasize, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs holds a Palestinian Solidarity Week which takes place on 13-17 October 2018. This special event held for the Palestinians is increasingly meaningful with the presence of the Palestinian Foreign Minister, Riad Malki in Indonesia.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno LP Marsudi in her press release said that the Palestinian Solidarity Week is enlivened by fun walk in Jakarta on Car Free Day, Sunday (14/10), interfaith meetings and dialogue. In addition, there is also the inauguration of Palestine Walk: Road to Freedom in Bandung. All of that is a form of continuity of Indonesia's commitment to Palestine in order to improve the understanding and care of the Indonesian people for the struggle of the Palestinian people.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Foreign Minister, Riad Malki said that the Palestinians are grateful for the efforts made by Indonesia for the realization of Palestinian independence. He also believes that the election of Indonesia as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council –UNSC for the period 2019-2020, sounds not only the aspirations of the Indonesian people but also the Palestinian people. With Indonesia's position as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, according to Riad, the opportunity for the Palestinian people to be independent and free from the Zionist Israeli occupation is getting bigger and more open.

Previously, when receiving the visit of the US Secretary of State, Pompeo in early August 2018, Minister Retno L.P Marsudi reiterated that the rights of life of the Palestinian people must be respected. The independence of a Palestinian state is the main point for the creation of peace in the Middle East. But President of the United States, Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, after meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Natanyahu said that the United States has prepared a peace plan in the Middle East before the end of 2018. One of them is a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

What should be underlined is that the struggle of the Palestinians’ independence is not on the name of one religion, but it involves all the beliefs of the Palestinian people, which has always been a multi-religious society. Hopefully, Indonesia's position as a non-permanent member of the UNSC 2019-2020 will be able to help and smooth the independence of the Palestinian people.

The recitation of the holy verses of the Koran brought by two young Indonesian hafiz, Muhammad Ghozali Akbar (10 years) and Kamil Ramadhan (11 years) echoed at the top of the 19th Moscow MTQ (19th Moscow International Quran Reciting Competition) hafiz or memorization of the Koran, in Moscow, Sunday (10/21). The presence of these two Indonesian hafiz as special invited guests of the Russian Mufti Council.

 
"We come from Indonesia to Moscow, Russia wants to give valuable things, in the form of our love and chanting of the holy verses of the Koran," said Ike Muttaqin, Chair of the De Muttaqin Waqf Foundation Yatim Tahfizil Islamic Boarding School while on stage accompanying Ahmad and Kamil.
 
More than 6,000 people attended the event, which is generally the Russian Muslim community in Moscow and surrounding areas that filled the Crocus City Hall building. Also present were invited guests from various backgrounds, including the diplomatic corps. (mofa indonesia)