Global Peace Foundation Indonesia is striving to help diverse communities build understanding and peace, starting with youth from all walks of life. As part of this effort, the UGen seminars explore Indonesia’s founding principles (Pancasila) and national motto (Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, meaning “unity in diversity”) to facilitate a rich discussion on balancing faith, patriotism, and peaceful coexistence in communities across the nation. As an archipelago nation made up of thousands of islands, Indonesia is home to people from countless cultural backgrounds, religious beliefs, and traditions.
Students filled Muhammadiyah University Tangerang’s General Soedirman Hall on June 15, 2023, for a UGen Seminar and Focus Group exploring Indonesia’s founding principles as the foundation for fostering peace in the country.
The event was made possible through the collaboration of the Global Peace Foundation (GPF) Indonesia, Citra Institute, and the Faculty of Law at the University of Muhammadiyah Tangerang. The forum’s theme, “Implementation of Pancasila as Darul Ahdi wa al-Syahadah,” brought a diverse group together to foster a deeper understanding of Pancasila’s role in promoting world peace and harmony. Pancasila, the official, foundational principles of Indonesia, is derived from Sanskrit “pañca” (five) and “śīla” (principles or precepts).
The dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Muhammadiyah Tangerang and Ms. Tokuda Yorching Poon, a representative of GPF Indonesia, opened the UGen Seminar with encouragement to those present to network and collaborate following the experience. Their sentiments were followed up with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between GPF Indonesia and the University of Muhammadiyah Tangerang, bolstering their commitment to furthering peacebuilding initiatives at the university.
The forum allowed students to delve into topics that balance faith, love of country, and the essential need to coexist and thrive with people of different religious beliefs.
The main event of the day featured two distinguished speakers who enriched the audience with their insights. Ingill Ra, the Regional Representative of GPF Asia Pacific, expounded on the practical implementation of Pancasila’s principles for supporting global peace. According to him, the Pancasila philosophy can even become a role model in other efforts to achieve peace, such as peace on the Korean Peninsula.
The second speaker was a professor who provided an in-depth explanation of Darul Ahdi wa al-Syahadah, which is a guide for Muslims to prevent violent extremism if there is an exchange of ideologies on a global or national scale. He provided valuable perspectives on incorporating these Islamic values and Pancasila into everyday life, which could therefore nurture harmonious relations. The seminar was followed by an engaging question and answer session where participants eagerly interacted with the speakers, fostering an atmosphere of collaborative learning and open dialogue.
After the speeches, the seminar provided extra time to delve deeper into the topic with focus groups for 30 selected students to exchange ideas and propose strategies to promote peace both locally and globally.
The original post appears on Global Peace Foundation. Global Peace Foundation is an international non-sectarian, non-partisan, nonprofit organization, which promotes an innovative, values-based approach to peacebuilding, guided by the vision of One Family under God. GPF engages and organizes a global network of public and private-sector partners who develop community, national, and regional peacebuilding models as the foundation for ethical and cohesive societies. Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon is the founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation.