"Working on Mercy and Forgetting the Past"---- Maayan bin Hamo

"Working on Mercy and Forgetting the Past"
Maayan bin Hamo
After his meeting with Netanyahu, the head of the largest Islamic organization in the world said: "There is a possibility of establishing diplomatic relations between Israel and Indonesia"
Last week, Yahya Khalil Staqov, the head of the world's largest Islamic movement, including some 90 million members from Indonesia and around the world, visited Indonesia. This is the second time he has visited Israel, and he has met with other leaders, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Head of State Reuven Rivlin. Hamas officially denounced his visit at the time.
At the end of last week, we met and met with him when he participated in the Kolulam celebration - a unique meeting of the rapprochement of religions at the Tower of David in Old Jerusalem.
"I came to Israel to achieve a goal," Stakov said. "I want to work for peace in this country." He wished to use religion as an element that could contribute to peacemaking efforts in the region. "Political and military means are often used when efforts are made to achieve peace, but there is hope that the path to peace will be clearer if we also use religion. So I came to this country appealing to everyone religiously - to work according to the principle of 'mercy' in all cases. Compassion and compassion - are fundamental and common principles of all religions. " Stakov expressed the hope that working according to the principle of "mercy" contributes to the unification of all religions and cooperation among them for the common goal of making peace.
Yahya Khalil Staqov during a meeting to bring together religions in Jerusalem
Speaking to his meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Head of State Rivlin, Stakov said the main topic of the conversation was on the road to peacemaking. "We are convinced by the statements of the prime minister and the head of state that they very much want to reach a peace agreement," he said. Stakov suggested forgetting the past and opening a new page, explaining that "we are happy to cooperate with the Palestinians also to talk about peace." In response to our question about possible meetings with the Palestinians, he said that he and the members of the Indonesian delegation had not yet been scheduled to meet with the Palestinian Authority, but he was certain that they would be determined later.
"The conflict is not confined to Israel and the Palestinians, but to the whole region, so we must work with countries in the region to try to advance peace," he said.
The Stakov movement represents a moderate Islamic trend, in contrast to the extremist orientation of organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas. When asked about his opinion on the position of these extremist organizations, he explained: "When using the formal understanding of Islam, religion may be used to justify the conflict. Therefore, we must work based on 'compassion' which may make us forgive and forget the past, cooperate, and work with everyone who wants to. "
Stakouf also noted that his visit to Israel has aroused enormous criticism and controversy among various figures in Indonesia and elsewhere in the world. "There is disagreement among people about the conflict. There is a part that wants to make peace, while another part focuses on the accounts of the past, which never end. Looking at the past only, we will not find a solution. What is the past? Are we talking about 50 years? a century? Millennium? I believe that we must start from the point where we live now. "
Stavov expressed his optimism about the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Indonesia. "I think there is a possibility for such relations between the two countries. But the problem lies in the conflict. If we reach a step adopted for peace, this encourages both countries to normalize relations, "according to him.
In the end, he stressed the importance of religion in resolving the conflict, as he saw fit. "Religion is supposed to be a guide for humanity for a better life. Muslims should remember that God sent the Prophet Muhammad with the sole purpose of 'mercy' - a blessing for all creation. Being a Muslim means dealing with 'mercy' with others. "