By: Muhammad Ilham)*
The R20 meeting was able to produce ideas and solutions that were echoed together to overcome all global problems, both those currently being faced or problems that might occur in the future.
From 2 to 3 November 2022, a world religious forum, the Forum Religion Twenty (R20) will take place. This is actually still a series of the G20 Summit. For the first time, all countries have agreed to officially bring religious discussions up to the international level.
Not only that, many parties also have high hopes that the world religious discussion forum will be able to be actively involved in dealing with many problems and potential global risks in recent times. Regarding this, the Director General of Islamic Community Guidance at the Ministry of Religion, Kamaruddin Amin, explained that the world’s religions must be encouraged to be involved in formulating global problems.
Previously, Chairman of the PBNU Communication and Information Institute, Ishaq Zubaedi Raqib, said the R20 meeting mobilized leaders and religious leaders in the world to ensure that religion functions as a true and dynamic solution, not as a source of problems in the 21st century.
Indeed, the role of religious leaders is considered to be very crucial in terms of changing the world community’s perspective on religion. The reason is, it cannot be denied that it is as if recently religion is considered a source of problems because it is indeed ridden by certain groups or individuals who actually move according to their own interests but in the name of or using the attributes attached to certain religions.
Thus, it seems as if the image of religion itself is getting worse and is considered unable to bring about peace in the world and on the contrary, it is the cause of division or conflict in some cases. Of course, the role of religious leaders must really be able to change all the bad perspectives of the world community.
Actually, the presence of religion is not just a guide for the people to be able to carry out worship to their God, but in fact there are many aspects of religious teachings that explain the importance of doing good to fellow human beings.
Even in religion itself, it is also stated that humans must be able to contribute or be involved pro-actively when they want to create a true solution and also be able to follow the dynamic changes in society in order to adapt to all the problems that exist today.
Ishaq Zubaedi Raqib revealed that the main purpose of organizing R20 was to prevent identity issues being used as a weapon, limiting the spread of group hatred, and protecting the public from violence and suffering due to conflict.
So far, the efforts of certain groups or people when gaining the name of religion will not be far from the issue of identity which they always use as a fairly powerful weapon. Because they will continue to try to show that there has been a significant difference in identity between one group and another.
As a result, if people begin to realize that they are different from each other, it will be much easier to change their mindset to be easier to judge something completely different from what they hold, so that intolerance is created. When this happens, it will be very sensitive to arise a horizontal friction.
The hatred between a group and another group that is considered different or deviated will then become bigger and it is very easy to ignite the fire of emotion and hatred in it to create divisions between groups.
When the divisions caused by the intolerance have started, the impact will also be felt by a lot of other people, maybe even those who were not involved in the initial conflict at all. Violence will very easily occur and then bring suffering to many people.
The chairman of the PBNU Communication and Information Institute reflected on how the cases occurred in Indonesia itself. Indeed, a very big challenge must be faced together regarding religious issues which then spread to become political and social issues. Therefore, according to him, it is very important that all parties can jointly have one vision and mission regarding this matter.
Meanwhile, on another occasion, the Deputy Ambassador of Russia, Veronika Novoseltseva said that the concept promoted at the R20 meeting was very strategic for the sustainability of the world’s religious communities. According to him, the existence of the R20 forum will automatically bring closer international relations, even from several countries, which through R20 will be able to further make these countries strengthen their relations with each other, especially for countries that have multi-religion.
The implementation of the R20 forum will indeed be able to give birth to an idea and also a solution that will be initiated and discussed together with the spirit of synergy in order to be able to overcome many global problems, both currently occurring or predicting and providing guarantees for handling problems that may arise in the future. future will happen.
)* The author is a contributor to the Nusa Bangsa Institute