The Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) will remain consistent in making positive contributions to the country.
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JAKARTA, KOMPAS — TheNahdlatul Ulama (NU) will remain consistent in making positive contributions to the country. Such contribution will be realized through NU sermons that are based on the principles of tolerance and moderacy.
NU chairman Said Aqil Siroj made the statement during the 92th anniversary commemoration of the Islamic mass organization on Wednesday evening (31/1) at the Hasyim Asy’ari Grand Mosque in Jakarta. Said Aqil said that since its establishment, the NU bore the mandate to fight for, care for and develop Islam. Furthermore, the NU would always preach according to the best method. “Preaching using a bad method will only damage the image of Islam,” Said added.
Attending the event were Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti, Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri, Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister Eko Putro Sandjojo, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin and Social Affairs Minister Idrus Marham. Several political party leaders also attended the event, such as National Awakening Party chairman Muhaimin Iskandar, PDI-P secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto and Gerindra secretary-general Ahmad Muzani.
Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko was also present on behalf of President Joko Widodo. Vice President Jusuf Kalla was also absent.
The event started with the lunar eclipse prayer. After singing the national anthem “Indonesia Raya” at the start of the event, the guests stood up and clasped hands to sing “Syubhanul Wathon”.
Maintaining Indonesia
On behalf of the government, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin expressed hope that the NU could maintain national unity. All elements of the nation faced challenges in the strong current of the flow of information.
“Social media is huge. If we do not respond to it wisely, our unity will be threatened,” Lukman said.
As the host of Hasyim Asy’ari Grand Mosque, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan thanked the organizing committee for choosing the mosque as the venue. From its birth, the NU had been a unifying factor for the activities of many Islamic organizations in Indonesia. “The NU set the standard for the Islamic organization in Indonesia. The NU has been consistent in maintaining national unity,” Anies said.
The commemoration could be a moment for all national elements of various backgrounds to reflect. Plurality in Indonesia was unavoidable, Anies said, but the effort to maintain unity and plurality was more important.
Said Aqil declared that the NU would remain consistent in preaching moderately and would always take the middle ground. To support this stance, it needed sufficient knowledge. “Without knowledge, we would not be able to be tawassuth [moderate],” he said.
The NU did not want to see violence in the name of religion in Indonesia. Religious conflicts in several countries that had resulted in fatalities must be avoided.
A no less important NU mandate was the wathaniyah, to save, to preserve and nurture the unity of the unitary republic of Indonesia under the Pancasila state ideology and through respect for plurality. The NU’s acceptance of Pancasila did not mean that the state ideology replaced religion.
“Pancasila is accepted as a state ideology, not as a replacement for religion,” Said stated.
Long past
NU Supreme Leader Ma’ruf Amin also underlined NU’s commitment to nationalism. He said the organization had engaged in efforts to preserve the nation since before Indonesian independence. This was evident in the song “Syubhanul Wathon”, which means “love the homeland”, and was composed by NU figure Wahab Chasbullah. The song refers to Indonesia as a country. “Whoever comes to threaten you will face the members of NU,” said Ma’ruf.
Ma’ruf believed NU’s struggle would continue to be developed under the organization’s principles of unity among Muslims and tolerance for followers of other faiths around the world.
Life of Islam in Indonesia, Ma’ruf said, had become the subject of foreign research and studies. The country’s peace and unity was not only an asset to Indonesia, but also the whole world. In this context, NU had a duty to maintain peace among followers of different faiths in Indonesia. A portrait of this life had also been documented in several films by Islamist observers from around the world. Thus, it was no exaggeration to say that the NU is not only for Indonesia, but also for the whole world. This was illustrated by the thread that encircled the globe in the NU logo.
In the economic sector, the NU had championed the empowerment of a people’s economy. NU fully supported the people’s economy, which is in keeping with the government’s programs.
Ma’ruf expressed his appreciation to the government for this cooperation. “So far, the economy moved only around a few people,” Ma’ruf added.