Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar: Indonesia Has the Chance to Become the World's Center of Islamic Civilization
Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar said Indonesia has the chance to become the world's center of Islamic civilization thanks to national stability, strong economic growth, and peaceful conditions. He shared this optimism while closing the VIII KUII Congress and the 51st Anniversary of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) in South Jakarta on Sunday (7/26/2026).
The Minister explained that several Middle Eastern countries, which used to be centers of Islamic civilization, are now facing conflicts and economic slowdowns. He gave an example of economic growth in that region being only around 2.2 percent with high inflation. In contrast, Indonesia has 5.2 percent economic growth and low inflation of 1–2 percent.
He stressed that the peaceful atmosphere in Indonesia will give rise to scientists and scholars, unlike conflict zones that tend to produce generals. Therefore, he called on everyone to maintain harmony for the nation's future.
Despite his optimism, the Minister pointed out the challenges of Islamic economics. Public awareness is only about 7.5 percent out of 240 million Muslims, far below Malaysia's 27 percent. The national Islamic banking market share also remains under 10 percent after two decades. He encouraged non-economic approaches to advance Islamic economics.
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