Egypt is an Arab country in North Africa that is located quite far from Indonesia. The distance is not an obstacle, however, to the creation of an intensive cooperation and mutual benefit. Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt, Abdul Rahman Muhammad Pachir, said that Egypt is remembered by Indonesia as a country which first recognized the independence of Indonesia. "Recognition of independence was declared on November 18, 1946, a year after the Indonesian Independence on August 17, 1945," he said in the auditorium of UGM Graduate School, Tuesday (12/10).
In the book discussion of Jalur Gaza Tanah Terjanji, Intifada, dan Pembersihan Etnis (The Gaza Strip the Promised Land, Intifada and Ethnic Cleansing) organized by UGM Graduate School, Abdul Rahman said that what happened in Egypt influences Indonesia, including the influence of Islam. From the interaction made by both countries, many writings of Indonesian ulemas are published in Egypt.
It is similar to the nationalist movement in Egypt, the Egyptian people’s aspirations to be separated from imperialism through the figures and ulemas inspired movements in Indonesia. "It influenced students in Indonesia to make Indonesian independence movement," he said.
Almost all of Indonesia’s Presidents have visited Egypt. President of Egypt, Husni Mubarok, however, only once visited Indonesia since he was in power in 1982.
According to Abdul Rahman, a state visit shows confidence of a country over other countries and this shows the importance of that country. "It seems we need leaders such as President Soekarno and President of Egypt, Gamal Abdul Nasser, to unite the two countries," he explained.
The book written by Trias Kuncahyono, a Kompas journalist, gives a clear picture of Israeli and Palestinian conflict. The 325 pages book starts with a description on Egypt, a country rich in history. Then, it moves to the history of Gaza that becomes an important topic, a prosperous promised land, including Jabaliya City, the site where intifada movement emerged and related events in the Middle East peace efforts.
Anies Baswedan who gave an introduction in this book mentioned that Palestine and all other information are usually obtained from foreign authors. Readers just get a translation of it in English, Arabic, or French. The publication of this book is interesting because it is able to fill the void of literature so far.
Besides Abdul Rahman Muhammad Pachir, also discussing the book was the Egyptian Ambassador to Indonesia, Ahmad Al Quasini.The moderator was Dr. Siti Muti’ah Setiawati, MA, a lecturer of S-1 and S-2 International Relations of UGM and S-2 and S-3 programs of Middle Eastern Studies, UGM Graduate School.