Aisyiyah Central Board: Let’s Avoid Conflict, See the Good in People

Jakarta, PPIM – Chairwoman of Muhammadiyah’s women’s wing Aisyiyah, Alimatul Qibtiyah, had some tips for Indonesian people to avoid conflicts caused by differences of opinions: to appreciate every kindness in people.

“In a bid to avoid conflicts caused by differences [in perspectives], we need to be wise and seek out good values in every [religious] teaching, or faith, or other people’s backgrounds,” Alimatul said on Friday (22/1) in the 18^th virtual seminar series entitled #ModerasiBeragama (Religious Moderation). 

The seminar, themed “Mass Organizations, Ulema, and Religious Moderation”, was held by the Center for the Study of Islam and Society (PPIM) of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta through Convey Indonesia program.

In the discussion, Alimatul emphasized the importance of adopting a mindset of moderation in responding differences. The lecturer from Sunan Kalijaga State University in Yogyakarta said that differences existed because of diversity, different environments, different ways of thinking, different readings or references, and so on. Different entities in social life had created different perspectives, she said.

“Religious moderation means to think as much as it is needed, not more, not less. Many people argue that religious moderation means being inconsistent, as if we do not have a solid stance. In fact, it is actually an attitude that opposes violence and religious extremism,” said the commissioner of the National Commission on the Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan).

The virtual seminar on Religious Moderation is held every Friday via “Convey Indonesia” official Youtube channel. The discussion, moderated by Convey Indonesian team leader Jamhari Makruf, also presented other speakers, such as Maria Ulfah Anshor from Indonesian Women’s Ulama Congress (KUPI) Deliberation Council, and Najib Kailani, a lecturer and researcher of Research Center for the Study of Islamic Democracy and Peace (Puspidep) of Sunan Kalijaga State University.

Writer: Grace Rachmanda
Editor: M. Nida Fadlan