Ukrainian and Indonesian Muslims will cooperate more closely

Alraid All-Ukrainian Association agreed on further cooperation with the largest and most authoritative Islamic organisation in Indonesia during its representatives’ visit to the Association headquarters in Kyiv.

Said Ismagilov, the Mufti of RAMU “Ummah”, Oleg Guzik, the Chairman of RAMU “Ummah” and the head of Civil Union “All-Ukrainian Association “Alraid” Seyran Aryfov met the Members of Muhammadiyah, who visited the Kyiv ICC, accompanied by Yuddi Krisnandi, the Extraordinary Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Kyiv, his wife and diplomatic staff.

The Indonesian delegation included Heydar Nashir himself, who is a head of Muhammadiyah, and Sitti Nurjanna Jahantini, a representative of Aisyiyah that is the women's section of this organisation. The purpose of the visit was to establish friendly relations and discuss the cooperation of Ukrainian and Indonesian Muslims.

During the meeting, Seyran Aryfov, Alraid’s president, told about the Muslims of Ukraine, their religious institutions, programs, projects and actions, initiated by Muslim activists. Indonesian co-religionists learned about the Association itself, which turned from the interregional Association, established in 1997, into all-Ukrainian one. Today, it consists of 20 organisations that are united on the basis of equal partnership and certain centralization, remaining the autonomy that makes it possible to effectively coordinate activities and quickly to take important decisions on the ground.

Guests learned about successful projects that serve the benefit of not only Ukrainian Muslims, but also the Ukrainian society in general. Charity clearly demonstrates Muslims’ desire to improve the position of vulnerable social groups, regardless of religious affiliations or ethnic origin. Among other recalled things was assistance to displaced people, people in need, old people and orphans, care of boarding schools and homeless people. Every week activists from Maryam Women's Organisation together with volunteers from other organisations help the homeless people with medicine, necessary things, clothes and sanitary facilities, feed them with homemade food. Also they launch blood donation actions, hospital assistance activities, and environmental campaigns on a regular basis.

Inter-religious communication and cooperation of Muslims with non-Muslim organisations and churches became a separate topic to discuss. The Indonesian delegation learned that for a long time secular and religious institutions have been holding lectures and practical classes in philosophy and religious studies here at the Alraid base, in Association ICCs. Also the delegation was told about Islamic studies schools for youth with the participation of well-known scholars and social activists.

Seyran Aryfov explained the provisions of the Charter of Muslims of Ukraine, signed on the initiative of the RAMU Ummah and the Association Alraid by the majority of the Muslim communities of our country.

Olga Fryndak, a representative of Ukrainian Muslimahs’ League, satisfied the curiosity of Sitti Nurjanna Jahantini, introducing her to the aspects of the work of Muslim women organisations and movements that are part of the association. Socially significant projects implemented by Ukrainian Muslimahs pleasantly impressed the guest.

The Indonesian part also spoke about its activities: Muhammadiyah has mosques and schools as well; they help the needy persons, supports hospitals, launches educational activities, and has much greater human and financial resources, powerful facilities - hundreds of hospitals, hundreds of schools and mosques all over Indonesia – so they have a wealth of experience. Therefore, the agreement on friendship and cooperation reached the meeting, and willingness to launch joint projects are a good result of communication.

As Mufti Said Ismagilov noted, that was the first visit of the representatives of Muhammadiyah organisation to the Kyiv ICC, but the Ambassador of Indonesia and the embassy staff are frequent and welcome guests here:

- Representatives of the Indonesian Embassy, in particular, Mr. Ambassador, often visit the mosque, and not only on holidays. They are not just guests of our numerous events, but active participants. Let me remind you that at the Festival of Oriental Culture, women from the Indonesian Embassy presented traditional national costumes, personally prepared dishes of national cuisine and handicrafts. I would like to emphasize that the Ambassador of Indonesia carries out not only a diplomatic, but also very wide cultural activities. Not only at the state level, but also at the level of human communications: he is interested in the activities of religious communities, willingly meets with representatives of Muslim organisations and religious departments. He has visited our mosque, the Islamic Cultural Centre many times and always invites to himself - not only on Islamic or state holidays. <...> Yuddi Krisnandi is personally involved in cultural projects. If someone does not know, then it was he who founded the "Indonesian Garden" in the Hryshko National Botanical Garden in Kyiv and opened Indonesian Miniatures in the Park of Miniatures at Hidropark.

Let us recall, Indonesia is the largest country in terms of Muslims, both in absolute measurement terms as well as on percentage basis: 204,800 million followers of Islam live there - more than 80% of the total population.