Moderates Should Not Stay As Silent Majority - Indonesian Former VP

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 (Bernama) -- Moderates around the world should play a role in fostering prosperity and safeguarding the dignity of their nations, said former vice president of Indonesia Jusuf Kalla. Jusuf said the "silent majority" needs to wake up to fight the extremists, who have to some extent overshadowed the good values of others in the same community. "In many cases, the extremists are not a big number. In Indonesia, for example, people think there are many extreme radical Muslims because of the bombings and so on, but it's only a small number. The moderates are very big, but they are the silent majority," he said in the special panel session at the International Conference on Global Movement of Moderates Wednesday. He said that moderation and democracy play a similar role in achieving peace and equality, and all nations should not be afraid to make a change, although there is a price to pay. "There are many ways to implement democracy, and one is by making good transitions. Indonesia experienced the change from authoritarian government to democracy. We must take risk. But without a good transition, conflict will arise," he said. Shaykh Muhammad Umar, chairman of the Ramadhan Foundation based in the United Kingdom, stressed that the world community needs to do away with narrow thinking in religious life to sustain world peace. To avoid inter-religion conflict, he said, understanding among all faiths must be increased. "Muslims should not be narrow-minded and must encourage kindness, but not in the extreme way. Most important is to unite and make sure all challenges are faced with wisdom," he said. During the question-and-answer session later, Jusuf said it will not be easy to stop inter-religion conflicts around the world, and called for inter-faith dialogue. -- BERNAMA