Surabaya, NU Online
The general chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Islamic organization, KH Hasyim Muzadi, said NU follows national politics and therefore efforts to sterilize NU from politics ahead of a conference have to be scrutinized.
"NU clearly follows national, community and religious politics," he said in an e-mail received by Antara news agency here on Saturday.<<>br />
In view of that he said calls for NU to be politics-free have to be scrutinized, especially for a possible interest behind the campaign.
NU which is one of the biggest Islamic organizations in the country plans to hold a conference in Makassar, South Sulawesi province next week to among others elect new leadership.
Hasyim said "candidates for NU leadership must be careful when raising the issue especially with regard to interest groups behind it from the pure one to that capable of harming NU," he said.
He said there were at least three interest groups namely those who would willingly serve NU (civil society), those that have political parties and those who do not want to lose votes.
Other interest group is that wishing to cut the relations between religions and the state or government.
"The first group is good but the second group who has an interest of deploticizing NU are politicians with political aims," he said.
The third group who wishes to separate religions from the state are targeting secularizing the state, he said.
"The third group is the one often calling for the dissolution of the religious affairs ministry, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), eradication of fatwa and against compilation of Islamic laws," he said.
He said the interest of the third group refers to liberalizing the religion and banning religions to interfere in state affairs and the other way round like in the US and Europe where Christians and Catholics have also been harmed by the ideology.
"That is against the Pancasila ideology which recognizes no religious nor secular state. NU meanwhile has taken the path of national, community and religious politics not power politics," he said.
He said NU has long developed moderate ideology and contribute religious values to nationhood and statehood.
"Because of that Indonesia has remained a Pancasila-based state which is not religion-based nor secular," he said.
With regard to practical politics he said NU regulates against mixing NU leadership and political party posts and also respects citizens` political rights. (dar)
The general chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Islamic organization, KH Hasyim Muzadi, said NU follows national politics and therefore efforts to sterilize NU from politics ahead of a conference have to be scrutinized.
"NU clearly follows national, community and religious politics," he said in an e-mail received by Antara news agency here on Saturday.<<>br />
In view of that he said calls for NU to be politics-free have to be scrutinized, especially for a possible interest behind the campaign.
NU which is one of the biggest Islamic organizations in the country plans to hold a conference in Makassar, South Sulawesi province next week to among others elect new leadership.
Hasyim said "candidates for NU leadership must be careful when raising the issue especially with regard to interest groups behind it from the pure one to that capable of harming NU," he said.
He said there were at least three interest groups namely those who would willingly serve NU (civil society), those that have political parties and those who do not want to lose votes.
Other interest group is that wishing to cut the relations between religions and the state or government.
"The first group is good but the second group who has an interest of deploticizing NU are politicians with political aims," he said.
The third group who wishes to separate religions from the state are targeting secularizing the state, he said.
"The third group is the one often calling for the dissolution of the religious affairs ministry, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), eradication of fatwa and against compilation of Islamic laws," he said.
He said the interest of the third group refers to liberalizing the religion and banning religions to interfere in state affairs and the other way round like in the US and Europe where Christians and Catholics have also been harmed by the ideology.
"That is against the Pancasila ideology which recognizes no religious nor secular state. NU meanwhile has taken the path of national, community and religious politics not power politics," he said.
He said NU has long developed moderate ideology and contribute religious values to nationhood and statehood.
"Because of that Indonesia has remained a Pancasila-based state which is not religion-based nor secular," he said.
With regard to practical politics he said NU regulates against mixing NU leadership and political party posts and also respects citizens` political rights. (dar)
