Jakarta, Nov. 26 -- Indonesia deserves to become a reference point for the study of moderate Islam, Indonesian Vice President Ma'ruf Amin said at the expert meeting of Indonesia International Islamic University (UIII) on Tuesday. "Indonesia should become a place of reference for the development of moderate Islam," Amin said while making a keynote address.

Indonesia deserved to become a reference as it had the largest Muslim population in the world and was the world's third-largest democracy, he said.

Since Islam entered Indonesia in the eighth century, the development of Islam here was very rapid and was well received by native Indonesians.

"Islam entered Indonesia by peaceful means through trade activities and social relations between...