German Minister: Istiqlal-Cathedral Model of Religious Tolerance for the World

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta — German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Reem Alabali-Radovan, visited Istiqlal Mosque and Jakarta Cathedral on Wednesday, 19 August 2026. She said the close proximity and harmony of Istiqlal Mosque and Jakarta Cathedral could serve as a model of interfaith tolerance for countries around the world, including Germany.

“I think it is a good model for many places in the world. Of course, including for us in Germany. We can also learn from this,” Radovan said during her visit.

She said that tolerance, friendship, and interfaith dialogue are becoming increasingly important amid the various challenges facing the world today. She added that her visit to Istiqlal Mosque and Jakarta Cathedral was also part of the broader bilateral cooperation agenda between Indonesia and Germany.

She said Germany wants to strengthen cooperation with Indonesia in both economic and development sectors, particularly in renewable energy development and the energy transition. In addition, Radovan praised the use of solar energy at Istiqlal Mosque as an example of clean energy adoption.

“I was very impressed to hear that this mosque also uses solar energy. This is a good example of how this transition can be carried out. We want to strengthen this partnership in the future, and I am very much looking forward to it,” she said.

Meanwhile, German Ambassador to Indonesia, Ralf Beste, said the German people highly appreciate how religious communities in Indonesia live side by side and work together.

According to him, this is one of the experiences that the German Embassy wants to show every German guest visiting Indonesia. He said Radovan’s visit to Istiqlal Mosque and Jakarta Cathedral gave her an opportunity to directly witness religious tolerance and cooperation among different faith communities in Indonesia.

“From there, we can see how cooperation between religious communities can work well in Indonesia. We then bring these stories back to Germany, about how good interfaith cooperation and coexistence are in Indonesia,” Beste said.