Minister of Religious Affairs Reminds DWP Members to Be Role Models of Good Conduct
Ciputat, UIN Online News – Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs, Nasaruddin Umar, emphasized that women within the Dharma Wanita Persatuan of the Ministry of Religious Affairs (DWP) serve as role models for other women in their communities. Therefore, he encouraged all DWP members to uphold integrity and exemplify good conduct in their respective environments.
The remarks were delivered during the Halalbihalal gathering and the National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) of the Dharma Wanita Persatuan of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, held at the Harun Nasution Auditorium, Campus I, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, on Wednesday (15 April 2026). According to the Minister, women within DWP play an essential role as references and examples for other women in society.
He urged members to maintain integrity and consistently demonstrate exemplary behavior.
“You are women who have been entrusted with an important role. Be role models in the way you dress, speak, and conduct yourselves. Never become poor examples, because Dharma Wanita plays a vital role as the face of exemplary character within society,” he said.
The Minister further explained that women occupy a central position both within the family and in society. As mothers and wives, they form the foundation of a strong family.
As mothers, he noted, women hold an honored position in Islam, citing the well-known hadith that places mothers at the highest level of respect three times. As wives, he added, a husband's success is inseparable from the support and encouragement of his spouse.
Beyond the family sphere, women also have the capacity to contribute significantly to society and become driving forces for interreligious harmony. The Minister highlighted that Indonesia currently enjoys a very high level of religious harmony, reaching 97 percent.
“Religion actually makes it easier to find common ground than differences when our hearts are sincere. Every religion prohibits wrongdoing and encourages goodness. I hope DWP will become a living example of that harmony,” he emphasized.
The Minister also stressed the importance of promoting gender equality. He stated that, in the future, there should be no distinction in social roles based solely on gender.
“Differences should be determined by achievement, competence, and dedication. Gender must never become the basis for determining one's social standing. In every religion, particularly in Islam, the noblest people before God are those who are the most righteous,” he remarked before DWP representatives from across Indonesia.
Addressing Muslim participants, the Minister highlighted exemplary female figures mentioned in Islamic teachings. One of the foremost examples is Asiyah, the wife of Pharaoh. Despite having a tyrannical husband, Asiyah remained steadfast in her faith and moral integrity.
Conversely, he pointed to the wives of Noah and Lot as examples of conduct that should not be emulated. According to the Qur'an, both opposed their husbands' prophetic missions and incited their communities against the divine message entrusted to them.