Karling klub Vukovi

The book editor is Dr Aleksandar Rakovic, the chairman of the Association of Serbian-Indonesian Friendship “Nusantara”. The book includes papers presented at the conference “Interfaith Dialogue: Serbia and Indonesia”, which was held in Belgrade in April 2011. According to HE Mr Semuel Samson, Indonesian ambassador in Serbia this conference was rated as the best among 20 conferences of this kind which were held around the world.

The book was presented by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Religion and Diaspora of the Republic of Serbia, Professor Bogoljub Sijakovic, who expressed the satisfaction because Indonesia, the most populous Islamic country, did not recognize the self-proclaimed independence of Kosovo and Metohija. Professor Sijakovic also indicated that without peace among religions, there could be no peace among nations and noted that after the last year’s conference geographical distance between Serbia and Indonesia remained the same, but that these countries were “much closer.” Sijakovic underlined the importance of religious traditions in a modern society.

The guests were welcomed by the representatives of traditional churches and religious communities in Serbia: Vicar Bishop of Hvostno Atanasije, who conveyed the blessing of Serbian Patriarch Irinej.

Reis-ul-ulema of the Islamic Community in Serbia Adem Zilkic pointed out that the harmonious life of the majority Muslim population and other religions in Indonesia, the country of six official religions, 300 ethnicities and approximately 240 million inhabitants – represents the perfection of this world.

Zilkic advised those who would form a new government in Serbia that co-existence and harmonious relationship between members of traditional churches and religious communities in Serbia should be kept as a value, because it is “an umbrella under which we have found our place, without nudging, crowding, and away from the rain”.