American Imam visits Eastern Indonesia

American Imam visits Eastern Indonesia

Maryland Based Imam Mohammad Bashar Arafat reached millions of Indonesians over a 7 day trip to Indonesia focused on East Java and Nusa Tengara Barat. This was his third visit to Indonesia and his first visit to Eastern Indonesia. Imam Arafat is the founder of the Civilizations Exchange and Cooperation Foundation based in Maryland that seeks to connect people the world over across faiths and cultures.
In Surabaya Imam Arafat met with leaders of Nahdatul Ulama (NU), Muhamadiyah, and the National Mosque, al Akbar. He also visited several schools and conducted media interviews.
In Mataram, the Imam had lunch with religious leaders where delved deep into the quranic justifications for interfaith dialogue and outreach. He also spoke with exchange alumni from the U.S., visited the premier pesantren Nurul Haramain, and held a live dialogue with Lombok TV.
In Bima, the Imam led prayer and post prayer dialogues at two main mosques, spoke to hundreds of pesantren and Islamic school students, met with leaders of the religious establishment including Majelis Ulama Indonesia and the religious ministry. He hosted an hour long dialogue on Bima TV.
This program is part of the U.S. mission to Indonesia programs bringing American societal leaders to Indonesia to exchange ideas with their Indonesian counterparts and bring the U.S. and Indonesia closer together as part of the Comprehensive Partnership.