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Sec. Delia Albert, newly appointed Secretary of Foreign Affairs, endorses an international Ulama Forum to be held in Manila towards the end of April 2004, Insha Allah. Envisioned as a two-day conference, this will be attended by the Ulama from Mindanao, Metro Manila and other parts of Asia, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Burma, Cambodia, Thailand, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.
The forum was discussed by Comm. Taha M. Basman with Sec. Albert during the UNESCO General Meeting held at the Department of Foreign Affairs on February 20, 2004. According to Sec. Albert, her interest on the subject of an Ulama Forum on moderate teachings of Islam was brought about by her personal conversation with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri. In a parallel development, a Center for Moderate Islam is being established in Asia, especially in Indonesia where the country's leading Ulama groups, Mohammadiya and Nadhatul Ulama, are in the forefront. This was a result of a previous international conference held last October 2003 in Jakarta, attended by members of the Ulama all over Asia. In such Conference, the Philippines was represented by Comm. and Mrs. Basman. |
