Maria Tomak, Head of the Crimea Platform Department, is taking part in an advocacy visit to Jakarta, Indonesia, as part of the Ukrainian delegation.
The event began on March 18, will last a week, and will be accompanied by a series of activities and meetings with Indonesian public and religious figures, representatives of the government and parliament, academic and cultural institutions.
The purpose of this visit is to expand communication among government and parliamentary circles, build and strengthen ties with the academic and expert community, and in the future, to work on joint projects.
Besides Maria Tomak, the Ukrainian delegation included Mufti of the Spiritual administration of Muslims of Ukraine “Umma” Sheikh Murat Suleimanov, Deputy Director of the Ukrainian Institute Alim Aliiev, Programme Manager of the Ukrainian Institute for India and Indonesia Yulia Mykulych, and Professor of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy Maksym Yakovlev.
The visit commenced with a presentation of the book “Islam in Crimea” by Indonesian author Yanuardi Syukur at Paramadina University. The book explores the history of Islam on the territory of Ukraine, specifically on the Crimean peninsula.
Last December Mr. Yanuardi made a visit to Ukraine, specifically to the Crimea Platform Office. It was his trip to Ukraine that inspired the author to write this book. The book did not go unnoticed by the local community, because few people here, in the largest Muslim country in the world, know that Islam appeared on the territory of Ukraine so long ago — in the tenth century — and that it is the indigenous religion of Ukraine, whose representatives are Crimean Tatars.
During the event, the participants raised issues of the current situation in the occupied Crimea, including the situation of women, the situation with education, the destruction of cultural heritage, the Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian languages by Russians, and attempts to destroy identity.
The author of the book, together with the delegation, also took part in a presentation for representatives of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the country’s largest religious organisation with tens of millions of members.
Also during the same day, a presentation of the documentary film “The Way” produced by Suspilne (Ukrainian Public Broadcasting Company) was held. The event began with a speech by Sheikh Murat Suleimanov about how the Russian invasion since 2014 has affected the fate of Ukrainian Muslims, especially Crimean Tatars (destroyed mosques, forced displacement, deprivation of freedom of religion, etc.) The film was followed by a discussion with the organizers and Ukrainian delegates.
In addition to participating in public events, the Head of the Service to support the activities of the Crimea Platform met with one of the well-known Indonesian journalists, who hosts an author’s program on CNN Indonesia, Desi Anwar.
Previously, Ms Desi visited Ukraine, where she interviewed, among others, Tamila Tasheva — the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and made a series of stories about Ukraine. Ms Desi Anwar’s reports from Ukraine received a lot of views in Indonesia and, according to her own words, caused a wave of interest and empathy towards Ukrainians in Indonesian society.
In the coming days, the Ukrainian delegation will meet with representatives of the government and parliamentary political parties. The delegation is also scheduled to visit leading think tanks and meet with journalists.