Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Vice President (VP) Ma'ruf Amin has called on all Islamic boarding schools in Aceh Province to support and work with the government to cope with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"One of the tasks that 'pesantrens' (Islamic boarding schools) need to do is to work with the government and ulemas to handle the pandemic," Amin noted in a statement received here, Wednesday.
Support for the government's vaccination program and consistently complying with health protocols are part of the COVID-19 preventive and mitigatory efforts, Amin stated.
"Joining the vaccination drives is part of our endeavors to save ourselves from the COVID-19 infection. By doing so, we are achieving herd immunity. Hence, it is compulsory,” he remarked.
Amin also highlighted the Pesantrens’ important role in producing new qualified ulemas.
Speaking in connection with Amin’s expectations of Pesantrens supporting vaccination, Faisal Ali from the Consultative Assembly of the Aceh Ulemas remarked that COVID-19 vaccine hoaxes had posed a serious hurdle.
According to the vice president, ulemas could not prevent the spread of COVID-19 vaccine hoaxes among members of the local communities, who might easily believe them.
Vice President Amin departed for the provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra on Tuesday for a working visit.
During his stay in Aceh, Amin chaired a meeting at the Aceh Governor’s office to discuss efforts to empower the people’s economy and public services.
The cabinet members joining Amin’s working visit were Home Minister Tito Karnavian and Villages, Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration Minister A. Halim Iskandar.
During his working visit to Aceh, apart from chairing the meeting at the Aceh Governor office, he also observed an exhibition of local micro, small, and medium entrepreneurs’ products and a vaccination drive at the Mahyal Ulum Al Aziziyah Islamic Boarding School.
Moreover, Amin attended the launch of the “Kita Jaga Kyai” (We Take Care of Muslim Clerics) Program and met with several figures of the Consultative Assembly of the Aceh Ulemas.
After completing his agenda in Aceh, Vice President Amin and his entourage continued the working visit to Medan, the capital of North Sumatra Province.
Amin boarded the Boeing 737-400 aircraft that departed from the Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport for the Soewondo Air Force Base in Medan City at around 4:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday.
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Vice President Ma'ruf Amin in Aceh. ANTARA/M Ifdhal
One of the tasks that 'pesantrens' (Islamic boarding schools) need to do is to work with the government and ulemas to handle the pandemic.
