RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia is strengthening international engagement by presenting ELIPSKI (Electronic Islamic Religious Library Literacy) as part of its religious literacy outreach, through its participation in the 57th Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF), held from January 22 to February 3, 2026.

At the international event, the Religious Affairs Ministry is introducing ELIPSKI, a digital platform featuring a collection of Islamic literacy resources aimed at expanding access to religious knowledge in digital formats.

Secretary of the Directorate General of Islamic Community Guidance, Lubenah, said Indonesia’s participation in the Cairo book fair forms part of the ministry’s efforts to strengthen religious literacy. She emphasized that literacy goes beyond the availability of reading materials and includes how religious teachings are understood and practiced.

“Religious literacy is not only about access to books, but also about the quality of thinking, understanding, and practicing religion,” Lubenah said in Cairo on Sunday, February 1, 2026, as quoted on Religious Affairs Ministry official website.

According to her, strong religious literacy plays an important role in improving the quality of human resources. A moderate and contextual understanding of Islam, she added, can be developed through access to diverse and relevant Islamic reading materials that reflect contemporary developments.

“This is what we are introducing at international literacy forums such as CIBF,” she said.

Lubenah added that the ministry’s participation also serves as a platform to build networks with international stakeholders. Indonesia’s presence at the book fair, she noted, opens opportunities for collaboration with publishers, research institutions, and religious organizations from various countries.

“We want Indonesia’s Islamic religious literacy to be connected with the global literacy ecosystem,” she added.

Meanwhile, Head of the Islamic Library Subdirectorate Nur Rahmawati explained that ELIPSKI collections are presented in both print and digital formats to ensure accessibility for visitors. At the exhibition booth, the ministry displays books, classical Islamic texts, and thematic Friday sermon materials that form part of its ongoing religious literacy services.

She said the ELIPSKI collection ranges from classical Islamic scholarship to thematic works addressing contemporary issues. One collection that drew particular attention from visitors focused on Islamic ecotheology.

“The ecotheology theme attracted interest because it relates to environmental issues that are a global concern,” Nur said.

According to her, visitor responses indicate growing interest in Islamic perspectives that explore the relationship between humans and the environment. She added that ELIPSKI could serve as a reference source in cross-border Islamic discourse.

The Cairo International Book Fair is the largest book exhibition in the Middle East. Within four days of its opening, organizers reported that around one million visitors from Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries had attended the event. The annual fair is widely regarded as a strategic platform for promoting global religious literacy. ***