Menlu AS John Kerry Kagum pada Mesjid Istiqlal
John Kerry Visits to Istiqlal, Largest Mosque in South-east Asia
Reporter : Rizki Saleh
Editor : Cahyani Harzi
Translator : Dhelia Gani
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Jakarta (B2B) - Menteri Luar Negeri AS John Kerry mengunjungi masjid terbesar di Asia Tenggara selama kunjungannya ke Indonesia pada Minggu, untuk menghormati umat muslim di negara yang populasi muslimnya terbesar di dunia.
Setelah melepas sepatu di luar masjid Istiqlal di jantung kota Jakarta, Kerry berjalan melewati gedung yang luas didampingi Imam Besar Masjid Istiqlal, Kyai Haji Mustafa Yaqub.
Kerry menyebut Istiqlal sebagai ´tempat yang luar biasa´, diplomat utama AS tersebut mengatakan kepada wartawan Indonesia: "Saya merasa sangat terhormat berada di sini dan saya berterima kasih kepada imam besar yang mengizinkan saya untuk datang."
Pemerintahan Presiden AS Barack Obama telah bekerja keras mencoba memperbaiki hubungan dengan dunia Muslim, yang sangat keruh di bawah pemerintahan sebelumnya akibat invasi Irak 2003, seperti dilansir straitstimes.com.
Jakarta - US Secretary of State John Kerry visited South-east Asia´s largest mosque during his visit to Indonesia on Sunday, paying tribute to Islam in the world´s most populous Muslim-majority nation.
After removing his shoes outside the Istiqlal mosque in the heart of Jakarta, Mr Kerry walked through the vast building accompanied by grand imam Kyai al-Hajj Ali Mustafa Yaqub.
Calling it an "extraordinary place", the top US diplomat told Indonesian reporters: "I am very privileged to be here and I am grateful to the grand imam for allowing me to come."
The administration of US President Barack Obama has worked hard to try to repair relations with the Muslim world, which were badly frayed under the previous administration with the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
