Members of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) use colorful umbrellas to ward off the sun when they attend a Istighosah Kubro get-together at Delta Stadium, Sidoarjo, East Java, on Sunday (9/4). The event was held to commemoration NU\'s 94th anniversary with the theme, "Knocking on the doors of the Sky, Reaching Nurullah", to pray for the safety of the Indonesian nation.
SURABAYA, KOMPAS – The Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) is the greatest asset of the nation. Therefore, protecting the NKRI from efforts to undermine public order is the duty of all citizens and protecting religion from undermining attempts is the duty of all religious people.
With this in mind, deputy supreme council chair of the East Java branch of Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), KH Anwar Iskandar, called for all Muslims to spread good deeds and fight injustice. “Amr bilma’ruf wa nahy’anil munkar must be upheld to ensure the dignity of the religion and of mankind for the advancement of the nation and the state,” Anwar said after the istighosah kubro (mass prayer) at the Delta Sports Stadium in Sidoarjo, East Java, on Sunday.
Hundreds of thousands of NU members attended the event, which was held to commemorate the organization’s 94th anniversary. NU supreme leader KH Ma’ruf Main, NU East Java chair KH Hasan Mutawakil Alallah, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, House of Representatives speaker Setya Novanto, East Java governor Sukarwo and National Awakening Party (PKB) chair Muhaimin Iskandar were also present.
Anwar reminded national leaders to be trustworthy and to uphold justice for the greater good. “Protecting the people from moral bankruptcy is the duty and responsibility of all leaders of the religion, the nation and the state,” he said.
As a form of personal and public duty, Anwar said, all people are required to get closer to God.
In a press conference before the mass prayer, Hasan Mutawakil apologized to the people living around the Delta Sports Stadium and passers-by for the traffic. Many NU members from other cities had flocked to the area two days before the event. They came on foot, cars, motorbikes and buses.
The mass prayer, held under the theme “Knocking on Heavens’ Door, Attaining Divine Enlightenment,” opened with mass singing of Shalawat Badar (an Islamic song praising Prophet Muhammad) and the Indonesian national anthem Indonesia Raya (Great Indonesia).
