Speech by Din Syamsuddin at the Closing Ceremony of Assisi 2016

Holiness, honorable representatives of religions, dear friends of the community of Sant'Egidio,
it’s an honor for me to bring the voice of Islam among men and women of different faith, united by a genuine thirst for peace for our world. It is indeed disheartening to see today that the absence of peace manifests in many forms such as poverty, illiteracy, discrimination, injustice, even terrorism and violence, ecological crisis, and cultural tsunami.
As people of religion, it is our common responsibility to work hand to hand to overcome these distresses. Together, we must say no to any use of violence in the name of God and work together for global peace.

I come from Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world. Our country is founded on the doctrine of Pancasila, that states the unity in the diversity of faiths and cultures.

it is closely coinciding with the spirit of Assisi, that since 1986 guides us to gather together to materialize our common ideals for peaceful co-existence and collaboration. We say, and  show with concrete actions, that violent extremism in the name of religion is indeed misuse and even abuse of religion. Never violence can use the name of religion, never!

I would like to express my thanks to pope Francis for his endless commitment for peace and my high appreciation to the Community of Sant’Egidio for having kept alive the spirit of Assisi gathering us every year and for the cooperation with Muhammaddiyah and Indonesian Islam that has brought concrete fruits of peace such as our common work in interfaith dialogue, peace education among youth, peace process and conflict resolution in Mindanao, South Philippines. This is the true dialogue of life that should be continued for the sake of our world.

Today, as we remember this journey of thirty years of dialogue and friendship, we look to the future together and we say that we want to strengthen our commitment for this noble cause. Let’s walk together in unity and diversity on the path of peace