Indonesia to Establish International Islamic University

TEHRAN (IQNA) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo has issued a presidential decree on the establishment of an international Islamic university in the country in a bid for the world's largest Muslim-majority country to become a center of global Islamic thought.

"I expect this university to be a source of knowledge, Islamic studies, the moral light of Islam and a bastion of balanced Islamic values, tolerant and egalitarian Islam," he said at the opening of the National Quran Recital Competition (MTQ) in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, on Saturday.

It is high time, the President said, for Indonesia to become a center of Islamic teachings.

He added that citizens of other countries should study Islam in the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, The Jakarta Post reported.

"Islam in Indonesia is like a patent medical prescription, which is moderate Islam, while other countries are still seeking the formula," he claimed, the Jakarta Post reported.

During the event, the Indonesian president also urged people to hold to the Quran to create peaceful and beautiful lives in Indonesia.

He also asked citizens to maintain harmony by staying optimistic in the face of global challenges.