Indonesia more tolerant than America and Europe

Jakarta, Duta Islam Nusantara. General Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) KH Said Aqil "Kang Said" Siroj said that Indonesia has a more reliable openness than countries in America and Europe in dealing with the values of religious pluralism. In the country, religious believers have not only enjoyed freedom but also greatly appreciated every religious holiday, for example with the establishment of a national holiday.

"We can see, in America and Europe there is no such Idhul Fitri holiday for Muslims. In France, wearing hijab is also prohibited," he said in the presence of delegates of PCNU throughout eastern Indonesia in the Pre-Conference event held in Sudiang Hajj Dormitory, Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Wednesday (22/4).

Indonesia more tolerant than America and Europe (Sumber Gambar : Nu Online)

Indonesia more tolerant than America and Europe

And in Indonesia, he added, despite the small number of Buddhists and Confucians, they have still found the freedom to celebrate their great day. According to him, this is because the Muslims who are the majority population in Indonesia could really respect any difference.

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Kang Said called this attitude as a character of so-called Islam Nusantara as preserved by NU as the countrys largest Muslim organization.

He asserted that Islam Nusantara did not see Islam as a doctrine of aqidah and syariah alone, but also about moral and civilization.

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The cleric born in Cirebon, West Java, was of the opinion Islam could not be separated from the homeland and the local cultures. Therefore, nationalism and respect for local wisdom for NU are important to create an atmosphere of peaceful religious coexistence.

"Man laisa lahul ardlun laisa Lahut tarikh. Wa man laisa Lahut tarikh laisa lahu dzakirah. Whoever has no homeland, will never have history. And whoever has no history, will never have character," Kang Said said.

According to him, in the context of statehood, loving the country should be a priority over the group including Islam. This was not present in the majority of Muslims in the Middle East so that there have always been conflicts in the region.

"(Relying on) Islam (as a doctrice of aqidah) is not enough, there must be a national commitment," he said.

Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq

Dari (National) Nu Online: http://www.nu.or.id/post/read/59046/039indonesia-more-tolerant-than-america-and-europe039

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Kang Said: Radicalism propagated by small groups

Jakarta, Duta Islam Nusantara. Radicalism at a gradually more intense pace along with the development of information technology has likely become the task of ours in dealing with it. Our commitment should continue to be realized so that a friendly and moderate Islam will remain a religious spirit of millions of Muslims in the country.

General Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) KH Said Aqil Siroj, popularly known as Kang asserted that Muslims must continue to color the world with a face of Islam calling for peace, goodness, kindness and so fourth.

Kang Said: Radicalism propagated by small groups (Sumber Gambar : Nu Online)

Kang Said: Radicalism propagated by small groups

According to Kang Said, Islam imaged as a rigid religion spreading terror has actually only been propagated by small groups through various media.

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"Radical (groups) is only shown by small groups and will definitely be hated by people because of their attitude. Please take a look at the majority of farmers, fishermen and traders, they do want to live in peace in unity," said Kang Said at a meeting with the NTB Governor Muhammad Zainul Majdi, at the NU headquarters in Jakarta on Saturday.

Reasons of injustice which they often put forward are the made-up ones because, according to Kang Said, all problems could be solved together if we have a shared interest to maintain the unity and integrity of the nation.

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"Economic welfare should be evenly distributed. The issue of inequality has always been addressed by NU so that welfare and justice could be achieved by the people," he said, adding that all Muslims had constantly discussed furuiyah (trivial matters) especially if the matters were littered fully with political interests, the turmoil in the community will continue to happen.

Therefore, according to him, the nation should return to the most substantive thing so that all of the nations problems could be solved for the benefit of the people. (Fathoni/Masdar)

Dari (National) Nu Online: http://www.nu.or.id/post/read/76061/kang-said-radicalism-propagated-by-small-groups

Jokowi will attend NU-sponsored meeting

Jakarta, Duta Islam Nusantara. President-elect Ir H Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and vice president-elect Jusuf Kalla are scheduled to attend a seminar organized by the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) at its headquarters, Jln. Kramat Raya 164, Jakarta, Thursday (28/8).

In the seminar entitled "The NU Contribution to New President", Jokowi will be the keynote speaker. The seminar will be divided into two sessions, from 10:00 am until 16:00 pm.

Jokowi will attend NU-sponsored meeting (Sumber Gambar : Nu Online)

Jokowi will attend NU-sponsored meeting

The scholarly forum will take up issues on how to deal with the new national leadership for the coming five years.

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Organizing committee chief, KH Abdul Manan A Ghani said told Duta Islam Nusantara that "the forum is important and constitutes the NU commitment in founding the Republic of Indonesia."

"NU shall provide inputs to a new government, so that the next government will be in accordance with the purposeful vision and mission in establishing this country," he said.

According to Manan, some studies have predicted that Indonesia will likely be one of seven economic giants. All this, he said, could be materialized by the leaders having integrity and morality.

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"They are the leaders who are able to reconcile society, religion, culture, and stand in the frontline against any corruption, collusion, and nepotism," the chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama Mosque Management Board (LTMNU) said.

The seminar will also be attended by General Chairman of NU KH Said Aqil Siradj and General Chairman of Lawmaking Body ((Rais Aam) of NU KH A Mustofa Bisri.

In early August Jokowi launched a transition team, the first in Indonesian history, to prepare for his future administration. It will also help manage the transfer of power from outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to Jokowi.

The team, which is headed by former president director of PT Astra International and minister of trade Rini Mariani Soemarno, consists of a combination of experts and politicians tasked with devising programs to be implemented by Jokowi and Kalla during their five-year term in office.

Earlier, Kalla expressed his disagreement over the transition teams plan to merge several ministries into one, adding that he also disapproved of the idea that ministers in the next administration must quit their positions in their political parties, a proposal made by Jokowi.

Kalla said it would take time to merge ministries and he and Jokowi only had a limited amount of time to realize their campaign promises.

If any change is needed, they should be minor changes. If major changes take place then many things have to be restructured, such as who are going to be the directorate generals and where the new offices will be located and other things, Kalla said in Jakarta recently.

Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq

Dari (National) Nu Online: http://www.nu.or.id/post/read/54082/jokowi-will-attend-nu-sponsored-meeting

NU supports Ahok as governor of Jakarta

Jakarta, Duta Islam Nusantara. Nahdlatul Ulama, the Indonesias largest Muslim organization, has supported the appointment of acting Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama or Ahok as the governor of Jakarta.

General chairman of the Nahdliyin-based organization, KH Said Aqil Siroj made the remarks on the sidelines of the launch of a national jamboree of Maarif NU scouts on Friday.

NU supports Ahok as governor of Jakarta (Sumber Gambar : Nu Online)

NU supports Ahok as governor of Jakarta

"Ahok had been elected by the people of DKI (Jakarta special region) and so he must be supported and respected," he said, adding that Ahok should soften his words and tones if he was officially inaugurated as governor of Jakarta.

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"I advise him to change his attitude and the way he speaks. There are a lot of clerics, habibs (Prophet Muhammads descents), and Islamic boarding schools that deserve respect," he said.

On a separate occasion, the general chairman of the executive board of Pagar Nusa, which is the NUs martial art organization, Aizuddin Abdurrahman, has urged Ahok to change his behavior. Abdurrahman said Ahoks behavior so far did not reflect that of a leaders.

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"A leader must be able to spread peaceful and protecting atmosphere. He must not cause restlessness or division among the people," said the grandson of late KH Hasyim Asyari, founder of the NU, one of the largest Islamic organizations in Indonesia.

Abdurrahman, meanwhile, also reminded the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), which is engaged in a conflict with Ahok, to also reform itself if it did not want to be dissolved. The FPI, he observed, must change its propagation method and shun violence that has damaged even the reputation of Islam.

"The FPI must set the right example of how to conduct Islamic propagation. If it fails to do so, it will spoil the future generations," he added.

Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq

Dari (National) Nu Online: http://www.nu.or.id/post/read/55752/nu-supports-ahok-as-governor-of-jakarta

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Declaration of Nahdlatul Ulama

Nahdlatul Ulama has accomplished meetings on International Summit of the Moderate Islamic Leaders (Isomil), which is held in Jakarta, Indonesia. After intensive consultation and discussion with many experts who join this conference, Nahdlatul Ulama proclaim Declaration of Nahdlatul Ulama as follows:

1. Nahdlatul Ulama offers concept and experience of Islam Nusantara to the world as good example of Islamic paradigm, that religion can support civilization by respecting and acknowledging existed culture and beholding peace and harmony.

Declaration of Nahdlatul Ulama (Sumber Gambar : Nu Online)

Declaration of Nahdlatul Ulama

2. Nahdlatul Ulama does not intend to export Islam Nusantara to other worlds regions but invite Moslem communities to remember to the beauty and dynamics that flourish from the meetings of history, combination between spirit and teachings of Islam with local cultures in the whole world, which bring out great civilization, as in Nusantara or Indonesia Archipelago.

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3. Islam Nusantara is not religion nor new schools but the practice of Islam which develops naturally in the middle of Nusantara culture and does not offense with Islamic Sharia as understood, taught and practiced by Ahlussunnah wal Jamaah or Sunni followers in the world.

4. In the view of Islam Nusantara, there is dispute between religion and nationalism. Hubbul wathan minal iman; love country is part of faith. Those who do not have nationality will not have homeland. Those who do not have homeland will not have history.

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5. In the view of Islam Nusantara, Islam does not command its beholders to conquer the world, but push them to promote good behavior (akhlaqul karimah), because it is the only way Islam becomes mercy to the universe (rahmatan lilalamin).

6. Islam Nusantara unswervinglyfollows and lives basic Islamic teachings and values, including tawassuth (moderate), tawazun (harmony), tasammuh (grace, affection not violence and coercion) and itidal (justice).

7. As the biggest group of Ahlussunnah wal Jamaah in the world, Nahdlatul Ulama shares sympathy to the Moslem or non-Moslem society who suffer religious extremism, terror, conflict in the middle east and wave of Islamophobia in West.

8. Nahdlatul Ulama see that certain model of Islamic interpretation is most influential factor in spreading of religious extremism within Moslem)

9. In decades, some governments in Middle East have exploited religious differences and enmity history between schools, without considering the effects to the humanity, by blowing sectarian issues. Those countries hunt for soft power (opinion influence) and hard power (political, economy, military influence) also export their conflict to entire world. The sectarian propagandas purposefully support religious extremism and push the spreading of terrorism to the world).

10. Religious spreading extremism and terrorism create the wave of Islamophobia within non-Moslem).

11. Some governments in the Middle East build their political legitimacy from religious interpretation to support religious extremism and terrors. The threat of religious extremism and terrors can be overcome only if those governments want to open their mind and build alternative sources for their political legitimacy.

12. Nahdlatul Ulama ready to help this effort.

13. Economy and political injustice and mass poverty in Islamic World contribute the flourish of religious extremism and terrorism. Those reality always used as propaganda for extremism and terrorism, to legitimate and strengthen promised future illusion. So, this injustice and poverty problem cannot be separated from root of extremism and terrorism).

14. Although conflict that rise countless victims in Middle East seems cannot be ended, we cannot ignore them. Nahdlatul Ulama demand Indonesian government to actively take role to seek problem solving for conflicts in the Middle East.

15. Nahdlatul Ulama make call to everyone who has good intention either from all religion or nationality to join the effort to establish global consensus not to politicizing Islam, and marginalize those who intend to exploiting Islam to hurt others.

16. Nahdlatul Ulama will struggle to consolidate Ahlussunnah wal Jamaah followers for the sake of the circumstances where Islam and Moslem become conveyor of mercy and contribute to the welfare of human being.

Dari (National) Nu Online: http://www.nu.or.id/post/read/68247/declaration-of-nahdlatul-ulama

NU: Muslims should understand about taabbudi and taaqquli aspects

Malang, Duta Islam Nusantara. Member of the Advisory Board (Syuriyah) of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Prof. Dr. KH Tholhah Hasan, popularly known as Kiai Tholhah, said that Indonesian muslims in general and Nahdliyin (NU followers) in particular to understand the most important thing in dealing with the Islamic teachings, especially in differentiating between what so-called as taabbudi and taaqquli.

In offering salam to other religious adherents for instance, Kiai Tholhah deplored fellow muslims strictly understanding the ways of Muslims in offering salam to other religious groups for focusing more on the taabbudi aspect.

NU: Muslims should understand about taabbudi and taaqquli aspects (Sumber Gambar : Nu Online)

NU: Muslims should understand about taabbudi and taaqquli aspects

Kiai Tholhah said there had been many religious arguments misunderstood by hardline groups propagating radical lines of thought in the country, saying that "not only should the Islamic teachings be understood based on doctrinal aspects, the teachings should also be approached through historical and cultural aspects."

"It is now time for Indonesian muslims to rethink their position for living in the most populous Muslim country in the world," he told Duta Islam Nusantara here on Monday (18/04), adding that Islam was the second most popular religion in the world.

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There were about 1.6 billion Muslims in the world in 2010, according to Pew Research. Muslims constituted about 23% of all people on Earth. The religion is currently in a period of rapid growth, and is expected to reach 2.8 billion by 2050, when the number of Muslims will probably approximately equal the number of Christians in the world.

Duta Islam Nusantara

For that reason, he added, the Indonesian Muslims should be proud of themselves for living in Indonesia and be the leading pioneer for other Muslims in other countries in preserving the religious teachings littered fully with tolerant and moderate ones. (Masdar)

Dari (National) Nu Online: http://www.nu.or.id/post/read/67390/nu-muslims-should-understand-about-taabbudi-and-taaqquli-aspects

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