Nasaruddin Umar Elected as the First President of IAMI

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta — Indonesia's Minister of Religious Affairs and Grand Imam of Istiqlal Mosque, Nasaruddin Umar, has been elected as the first President of the International Assembly of Mosque Imams (IAMI) at the 2026 International Grand Imams Conference (IGIC) in Jakarta. Nasaruddin expressed his gratitude for the trust placed in him and hoped to receive support from grand imams around the world in carrying out his new responsibilities.

“I feel unworthy of being chosen as the leader of grand imams; I am afraid of disappointing the expectations placed in me. Therefore, if it is His will that I have been chosen to lead, I hope that everyone will understand my shortcomings and help me overcome them,” Nasaruddin said in Jakarta on Sunday, 27 September 2026.

He also emphasized that mosques need to regain their strategic role in society. According to him, mosques should not only serve as places of worship, but also as spaces for education, community empowerment, consultation, gatherings, and social services.

“For too long, the community has been empowering the mosque, but we need to reverse that. The mosque should empower the community,” he said.

IAMI will serve as a permanent platform for imams and religious leaders to exchange knowledge, strengthen cooperation, promote peaceful religious discourse, and contribute to human welfare.

The permanent secretariat and administrative center of IAMI will be based in Jakarta. Meanwhile, regional offices will be established in Kuala Lumpur for Asia, Cairo for the Middle East, Nairobi for Africa, London for Europe, New York for North America, Rio de Janeiro for South America, and Canberra for Australia and the Pacific.

In addition to establishing IAMI, IGIC 2026 produced the Jakarta Understanding, which positions imams as key actors in religious diplomacy and efforts to promote global peace.

“Through the Jakarta Understanding, the grand imams convey the message that peace is the shared responsibility of humanity, and that mosques can serve as bridges connecting differences,” Nasaruddin said.

The Jakarta Understanding contains seven commitments, including strengthening the role of imams as conflict mediators, unifiers of diversity, and moral guides for society, while promoting character education, moderation, tolerance, and digital literacy.

The imams are also encouraged to promote social justice and protect the rights of vulnerable groups, strengthen interfaith dialogue, reject extremism, violence, hoaxes, and hate speech, and raise awareness of environmental sustainability. The agreement also calls for global collaboration among international institutions, governments, and civil society to build a just, dignified, and peaceful world.

In its final point, the Jakarta Understanding reaffirms support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, the protection of civilians, respect for international law, and the realization of lasting independence, justice, peace, and dignity for Palestine. Nasaruddin said IAMI is also expected to open space for dialogue with leaders of other houses of worship to discuss humanitarian and environmental issues.

“We will not discuss practical politics or matters that could disrupt our shared comfort. Instead, we will build a common understanding that humanity is one,” he said.

The 2026 IGIC was held from September 25 to 27 in Jakarta and brought together grand imams, muftis, and delegates from 46 countries. The forum agreed to establish IAMI as an international platform for imams to strengthen the role of mosques in community empowerment, religious diplomacy, peace, and humanitarian efforts.