(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The Friday call comes as Yudhoyono’s government has been accused of not doing enough to stem growing religious intolerance in the country.
“I call on all of us to realize that our country is diverse,” Yudhoyono said in a speech to parliament, adding, “Under the spirit of unity in diversity, we need to continue to strengthen tolerance.”
The Indonesian president highlighted that Jakarta guarantees the rights of minorities and does not discriminate based on race, religion or social status.
However, human rights groups say Indonesia has faced a rise in intolerance against several religious minorities.
According to the Setara Institute, which is a non-governmental group, from January to June 2013 more than 120 acts of intolerance have been committed against religious minorities in Indonesia by extremist groups and state institutions.
The institute added that the acts of intolerance include forcible closures of places of worship, discrimination and inflammatory public statements by officials about religious minorities.
In February, the New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report that there had been a steady rise in attacks on religious minorities in Indonesia.
The report recommended the establishment of an “independent national task force” with a powerful mandate and the resources to apply a religious tolerance and freedoms strategy for the country.
In November 2012, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay censured violence and discrimination against religious minorities including Shia Muslims in Indonesia.
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