Religious Affairs Minister Urges Mosque Imams to Become Global Diplomacy Actors

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta — Indonesia has been confirmed as the host of the International Grand Imam Conference (IGIC) 2026. Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar, stated that the conference will serve as a momentum to strengthen the role of mosque imams as actors in global diplomacy. He made the statement while receiving a visit from Deputy Foreign Minister Anis Matta in Jakarta on Monday, September 7, 2026.

IGIC 2026 will be held in two stages across two cities. The first stage will take place in Jakarta on September 25–26, 2026, while the second stage will be held in Palembang on September 27–28, 2026. As part of the bridging program leading up to IGIC 2026, five preparatory events have already been held involving mosque imams in Makassar, Samarinda, Surabaya, Bandung, and Banten.

During the meeting, the Minister affirmed that mosque imams can serve as true ambassadors of peace for the world. "Imams are capable of appearing as diplomacy actors on the world stage, voicing Indonesia's message of peace to the international community, from the pulpit to the mihrab," Nasaruddin Umar said.

The Minister noted that the role of mosque imams should not be narrowed down to religious rituals alone. According to him, imams carry a much broader function, serving as moral leaders, community educators, guardians of social harmony, and reflections of Islamic values before the nation and the world.

He added that strengthening the capacity of imams has become an urgent agenda. "Imams are expected not only to excel in religious knowledge, but also to possess national insight, communication skills, social literacy, and a global perspective, so they can read the dynamics of the times and offer religious answers that are cooling, enlightening, and unifying," the Minister conveyed.

Furthermore, the Minister described mosques as the public space closest to the community. From mosques, Islamic values can be translated into real energy for strengthening brotherhood, tolerance, social care, and nationalism in the life of the nation.

At the same event, Deputy Foreign Minister Anis Matta, expressed his support for the implementation of IGIC 2026. He proposed that the conference also be attended by imams from Arab countries, representatives of Muslim communities in Europe, and imams from Al-Aqsa, with the Palestinian issue proposed as one of the official topics on the conference agenda. Anis also hoped that Muslim communities from Belgium, Austria, Croatia, and Uzbekistan could be involved to expand the network of participants at the international level.