MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, JAKARTA – Imam Asim Hafiz, Islamic religious advisor to the Chief of the Defence Staff and service chiefs, visited the Muhammadiyah Office of Jakarta on Monday (12/6).
In his second visit to Muhammadiyah following the previous one in 2017, Imam Asim Hafiz and Muhammadiyah representatives discussed global issues in the Islamic world, education, and climate change. Imam Asim Hafiz also talked about how Muslims in the United Kingdom (UK) responded to sensitive issues and was curious about Muhammadiyah thoughts and concepts of Islam Berkemajuan (Progressive Islam) relevant to global contexts.
Imam Asim Hafiz mentioned that the visit was addressed to learn how an Islamic organization is supposed to play roles widely in this modern world.
“Muhammadiyah is an exceptionally significant organization as it plays a pivotal role in exploring the meaning of Islam in the 21st century. For me, this visit allows me to learn Muhammadiyah efforts, delve into their wide-ranging development initiatives, and explore possibilities for collaboration on crucial issues,” said Imam Asim Hafiz whose work also supported peace-building, stabilization, and conflict resolution through regular deployments to Afghanistan between 2010 and 2012.
Imam Asim Hafiz also discussed how Muslims integrate nationalism and Islamic teaching to love their nation and how Al-Qur’an and hadiths mention environmental sustainability and equality issues.
“Besides, training of Imams and scholars is the other essential aspect to enhance their ability to remain relevant in the modern world and to promote positive thinking among Muslims regarding the practical application of Islam in the present time,” said Imam Asim Hafiz, who has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to defence and support of operations in Afghanistan.
“I hope that this meeting can strengthen relations between Islamic organizations in Indonesia and those in the UK. Having shared views may reinforce brotherhood among Muslims in Indonesia and the UK,” said Imam Asim Hafiz.
Furthermore, Chairman of Muhammadiyah Syafiq Mughni mentioned that Muhammadiyah is deeply committed to fostering a peaceful and civilized world as in the golden age of Islam.
“We are part of the world citizens, so we have to work together to answer issues in the world. We may not think that our endeavors are exclusively for our own nation, but they should benefit people worldwide,” said Syafiq Mughni.
“Thus, in the meting, we agree on commencing our first program by conducting a webinar for Muhammadiyah and British scholars. It aims to discuss contemporary issues. We will talk about further programs afterwards,” said Syafiq Mughni.
