Indonesian Govt to Build World Islamic Center
"We will arrange 200 hectares to build the world center for Islamic studies," the Vice President stated in Tegal, Central Java, on Monday as quoted by Antara news agency.
Kalla said Indonesia had the largest Muslim-majority population in the world and that although there were differences, people mostly lived together peacefully.
"We are grateful for it. Indonesia should have a major role in the development of Islam in the world," Kalla remarked.
During a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation at the Asian-African Conference 2015 in Bandung recently, all governments requested that Indonesia play a greater role in solving issues in the Islamic world.
He added that the international Islamic center would be built regardless of the costs required.
Muslims constitute the world's second largest religious group. Islam has 1.57 billion followers, making up over 23 percent of the world population, according to Antara.
Indonesia has some 204.8 million Muslims, accounting for 12.7 percent of the world’s Muslim population.
Source: The Jakarta Post
