Prophet’s Mosque imam meets Indonesia top leaders on Jakarta visit

JAKARTA: Prophet’s Mosque Imam Sheikh Ahmed Al-Huthaifi is on a five-day visit to Indonesia to meet the top political and religious leadership in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.

The Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah is one of the three holiest sites in Islam, along with the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Its imam arrived in Jakarta on Monday evening and met with Indonesian Vice President Ma’ruf Amin and officials from the Indonesian Ulama Council on Tuesday.

“The vice president hopes that his visit as the Prophet’s Mosque imam will strengthen friendly relations between our countries beyond bilateral relations between two states, but also people-to-people relations,” Masduki Baidlowi, the vice president’s spokesperson, told Arab News.

“This is so that Indonesians and Saudis can further connect, exchange ideas and cultures.”

Al-Huthaifi will lead Friday prayers and deliver a sermon at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta — the largest mosque in Southeast Asia.

He is also scheduled to visit Islamic boarding schools in the Indonesian capital and meet with the leadership of the country’s largest Muslim organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah.

“This is a very important visit, especially because he is the imam of the Prophet’s Mosque, which is widely respected by Muslims around the world, including in Indonesia,” Dr. Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim, the Indonesian Ulama Council’s chair of foreign relations, told Arab News.

He was hopeful that the visit would enhance relations between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia and contribute to strengthening the global Muslim community.

“Relations between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia must be strengthened for the future, especially because the world is facing turmoil right now with the impact of what’s happening in Palestine, which continues to be subjected to genocide by Israel, with destructions expanding into southern Lebanon,” Hakim said.

“Unity among Muslims will have a constructive effect in … building peace and security at the global level.”