MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, INDIA—Yayah Khisbiyah, a secretary of the Muhammadiyah Institute for International Relations and Cooperation, presented “Interfaith Collaboration to Protect Children and Vulnerable Groups” at the G20 Interfaith Summit in Pune, India, on September 5-7, 2023.
Khisbiyah, an associate professor and senior researcher at the Faculty of Psychology of Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, contended that interfaith collaboration is crucial to protecting children and other vulnerable groups from violence, abuse, and exploitation.
The world confronts many complex and interconnected challenges, including violent conflict, widening inequality, climate change, child neglect, and human trafficking. Interfaith collaboration is essential to addressing these challenges and creating a more just and equitable world for all.
In addition to Khisbiyah, other Indonesian leaders who attended the summit included K.H. A. Halim Mahfudz (Chairman of the Tebuireng Islamic Board of Trustees); Dr. Muhammad Hattah Fattah, Vice Rector of the University of Muslim Makassar; Yuyun Wahyuningrum, Chair of Human Rights at the ASEAN Secretariat; and Matius Ho, Executive Director of the Leimena Institute.
The G20 Interfaith Summit brought together over 2,000 participants worldwide to discuss religion’s role in addressing global challenges. The summit was organized by the G20 Interfaith Forum in collaboration with MIT-World Peace University and the Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities.
Other speakers at the summit echoed Khisbiyah’s call for interfaith collaboration. Rabbi David Rosen, co-chair of the G20 Interfaith Forum, said interfaith cooperation is “essential to building a more just and peaceful world.”
The G20 Interfaith Summit was a significant event highlighting interfaith collaboration’s importance in addressing global challenges. The summit’s conclusion is a reminder that religious leaders can play a vital role in building a more just and equitable world for all.
