VP To Open Symposium On Madrasah Empowerment

Jakarta, Aug 28 (Antara) - Vice President Boediono will open an international symposium on the empowerment of Madrasah (Islamic schools) in a global context, said Machasin, spokesperson for the Religious Affairs Ministry, on Wednesday. "The vice president will open the three-day symposium, which will last from September 3 to 5, 2013," he explained, adding that some of the Islamic schools in Indonesia are on par with international schools. However, he is concerned that Western media portrays Islamic schools as places that propagate radicalism and terrorism. "It is totally wrong and not true that Islamic schools are dens of terrorists," noted the professor of Yogyakarta Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University. Muchasin hopes that after the symposium, the institution of Islamic schools would make progress in terms of education quality, ethos of work, and infrastructure. According to him, there will be 130 participants in the symposium. Among the foreign speakers are Ahmad Mahmoud Karimah, from Egypt; Ronald Lukens Bull, from the University of North Florida; Ali Unsal, from Turkey; and Hasan Madmarn, from Thailand.