NSA Doval to meet Indonesian Min Mahfud M.D for Interfaith Peace & Harmony Event in Delhi

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval will be meeting top Indonesian minister Dr. Mohammed Mahfud MD for an interfaith harmony conference in News Delhi today. Notably, Mohammed Mahfud is the Coordinating Minister for the Political, Legal, and Security Affairs of Indonesia and will begin his three-day India tour on Tuesday. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation of Ulema and various Islamic scholars in today's meeting.

As per the sources, NSA Doval will be making the opening and closing remarks. In the meeting, which will be held at the India Islamic Cultural Centre, there will be a discussion on the 'Role of Ulema in fostering a culture of interfaith peace and social harmony in India and Indonesia' The Ulema visiting from Indonesia will interact with leaders from other faiths. Also, a joint statement will be issued at the end of the visit.

There will be three sessions during the meeting:-

• Islam: Continuity and Change
• Harmonizing inter-faith society: Practice and Experience 
• Countering Radicalization and Extremism in India and Indonesia

It is pertinent to mention that Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population, followed by India making it second-largest in number. Earlier in March 2022, NSA Doval visited Indonesia for the second Indo- Indonesia security dialogue where he invited minister Indonesian minister Dr. Mohammed Mahfud to India.

Indonesia, like India, is a secular democratic country. While it has a Muslim-majority population, the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, people of other faiths there like Christians, Buddhists, Hindus or Animists have rarely faced discrimination, much less religious violence. The same cannot be said about countries like Pakistan & Afghanistan. Numerous symbols in Indonesia are Hindu, for instance, such as its national airline, 'Garuda', named after the vaahan of Lord Vishnu. Till 2008, Lord Ganesha was also inscribed on the 20,000 rupiah note of Indonesia.