Makassar (Antara Bali) - The new leader of the Muhammadiyah organization is expected to usher in progress for the second-largest Muslim organization in Indonesia, according to Muhammadiyah's young figure Fida Afif.
Muhammadiyah is holding its 47th National Congress in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on August 3-7, 2015, to formulate a new agenda for the next five years, including electing a new leader to replace two-time Chairman Din Syamsuddin.
"We hope the new leader to be elected during the congress is trustworthy and capable of bringing further progress to Muhammadiyah," Fida affirmed here on Monday.
The former chairman of the Central Board of Muhammadiyah Students Association (PP IPM) noted that the organization is in need of new leaders who can bring about significant progress.
She further added that Muhammadiyah has envisioned transforming Indonesia into a more advanced, open, active, responsible, and evolving nation. With this idea, Muhammadiyah can address the core issues in this country.
In the meantime, Chairman of Muhammadiyah's special branch in Germany Ridho Al-Hamdi remarked that the organization was seeking its new and ideal leader who can lead the nation and the organization to achieve rapid progress.
"The new leader of the organization is expected to be a perfect or at least a near-perfect figure and is able to promote Muhammadiyah at the international level," he noted.
According to Ridho, the internationalization of Muhammadiyah will directly or indirectly promote Islam worldwide and will facilitate rapid growth to enable the religion to become the world's second-largest.
During the first plenary session of the congress here on Monday night, Muhammadiyah Special Chapters and Muslim communities from 12 countries, and the Muhammadiyah Executive Board signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on strengthening cooperation.
Chairman of the first plenary session Malik Fajar stated that Muhammadiyah has special branches in several friendly countries, and many Muslim communities in numerous countries expressed interest in learning more about the Muhammadiyah organization in Indonesia.
The Muslim communities originate from 12 countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Mauritius, and Timor-Leste, among others. (WDY)
