JAKARTA, Indonesia – Jakarta will be hosting an interfaith religious conference next week, organisers announced Tuesday (February 19th), according to local media.

The Jakarta Post reported that three organisations – the International Conference of Islamic Scholars (ICIS), the Indonesian Bishops Council and the Indonesian Communion of Churches – are the sponsors in conjunction with the Federation of Asian Bishops Conference and the Christian Conference of Asia. The conference will run from February 26th to March 1st.

"It is highly expected that through this conference, religious leaders from both sides could improve personal relationships in order to be able to address social problems like injustice and other forms of social and economic conflict," Kompas.com quoted ICIS secretary-general Hasyim Muzadi as saying Tuesday.

He also predicted the conference would serve as a proper medium to discuss cases of growing intolerance in many parts of the country, adding, "Rest assured that the intolerance school of thought found no clear ground here."