[An Nahar] U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you knowKerry
Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a
lucky hat,conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State...
visited Southeast Asia's largest mosque during his visit to Indonesia Sunday, paying tribute to Islam in the world's most populous Mohammedan-majority nation.
After removing his shoes outside the Istiqlal mosque in the heart of Jakarta, Kerry walked through the vast building accompanied by grand imam Kyai al-Hajj Ali Mustafa Yaqub.
Calling it an "extraordinary place", the top U.S. diplomat told Indonesian news hounds: "I am very privileged to be here and I am grateful to the grand imam for allowing me to come."
The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama
Ready to Rule from Day One...
has worked hard to try to repair relations with the Mohammedan world, which were badly frayed under the previous administration with the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The United States and other Western powers have often referred to Indonesia -- the world's third biggest democracy -- as a bridge to the Mohammedan world.
Obama, who spent part of his childhood in Jakarta, also visited the mosque in 2010 when he traveled to the archipelago.
In signing a note to be placed in the mosque's guestbook, Kerry wrote: "It has been a special honor to visit this remarkable place of worship.
"The amazing space and light and the extraordinary dome are the perfect way to welcome prayers.
"We are all bound to one God and the Abrahamic faiths tie us... together in love for our fellow man and honor for the same God. May peace be with you."