Jakarta, July 29 -- Indonesia will kick off Independence Month with an interfaith national prayer at the National Monument in Jakarta on August 1, with the Religious Affairs Ministry inviting the public to participate.

"Let us welcome the month of Indonesian independence with a national remembrance and prayer event with Habib Syech bin Abdul Qodir Assegaf and interfaith figures at the National Monument square," Minister Nasaruddin Umar stated in his written remarks on Wednesday.

The interfaith prayer will be led by representatives of each recognized religious faith in Indonesia, namely Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, he noted.

It will take place alongside a large-scale Islamic dhikr (remembrance...