NU brings harmony and unity<\/p>\n
Nahdlatul Ulama, the nation's largest socio-religious Moslem
\norganization, is holding its congress tomorrow in the West Java
\ncity of Tasikmalaya. Political scientist Mitsuo Nakamura argues
\nthat the congress will have ample national and international
\nimplications.<\/p>\n
CHIBA, Japan (JP): The coming congress of the Nahdlatul Ulama
\n(NU) is likely to reconfirm the Khittah (basic guidelines) of
\n1926 and reelect Abdurrahman Wahid, also known as Gus Dur, for
\nthe leadership.<\/p>\n
A more positive aspect of the coming congress is likely to be
\nits renewed efforts to emphasize its populist (kerakyatan)
\napproaches to national socio-economic development and
\ndemocratization.<\/p>\n
It is clear that achievements through the first 25 year period
\nof national development has brought about a significant rise in
\nthe well-being of the Indonesian people in general and formation
\nof a well-educated urban middle class in particular.<\/p>\n
This emerging middle class is distinctly Islamic in its
\noutlook. These trends have found an organizational expression in
\nthe formation of the Association of Indonesian Moslem
\nIntellectuals (ICMI) at the end of 1992 as a result of
\ncooperation between independent Moslem intellectuals and high-
\nranking government officials. A process of \"greening\" of the
\ncongress and government agencies, i.e. appointments of
\nindividuals with ICMI affiliation, has ensued, creating an
\natmosphere of \"honeymooning\" between the government authorities
\nand the Moslem community.<\/p>\n
NU, however, was not involved significantly in the formation
\nof ICMI except for a few individuals. This was in a sense a
\nmatter of natural consequence since the NU circles have not yet
\nproduced a sufficient number of established intellectuals,
\ndespite the fact that there are a great number of sons and
\ndaughters of NU members currently undergoing or recently having
\nfinished higher education.<\/p>\n
Besides, Gus Dur, by far the most representative intellectual
\nfrom NU circles, expressed grave doubts of whether the ICMI might
\nencourage a sectarian tendency and has so far stayed away from
\nit.<\/p>\n
Thus, aspirations of society's masses, still mostly rural, are
\nlikely to be represented continuously through NU to a large
\nextent. Outside the formal system of political representation,
\nthere still seems be a role for NU to play.<\/p>\n
Continuity<\/p>\n
Gus Dur, who has steered NU along this new direction with the
\nlate Ahmad Siddiq since 1984, symbolizes the continuity of NU's
\ntraditionalism and its vitally for self-renewal.<\/p>\n
Being a grandson of the founder of the NU, Hasyim Asy'ari, and
\na son of the first Minister of Religion from NU, Wahid Hasyim, he
\nhas an impeccable family background, which is quite important in
\nMoslem leadership. Besides that, he was educated in traditional
\npondok pesantren as well as in government schools in Indonesia
\nand received higher education in Egypt and Iraq.<\/p>\n
He is widely read in Arabic and English, giving him constant
\ninspirations to re-examine the legacy of Islamic traditionalism
\nand to come up with fresh ideas to meet new situations. He
\ntravels extensively to the U.S., Japan, Southeast Asia and
\nEurope, not to speak of the Middle East, talking to the highest
\npolitical, social and intellectual leaders of the regions.<\/p>\n
His often controversial statements and actions are in fact
\ncalculated carefully to invite the Moslem and national community
\nof Indonesia to ponder about contemporary issues of profound
\nimportance.<\/p>\n
He commands skills to communicate with and articulate the
\nthinkings of traditionalist ulama in their own language, who head
\nmore than six thousand pondok pesantren across the country. He
\nalso inspires and is inspired by ideas and feelings of an
\nincreasing number of younger NU activists with religious
\nbackgrounds as well as secular education and with jobs and
\npositions in the modern sectors of society.<\/p>\n
The NU congress and its new leadership will reaffirm its
\nposition for national unity, social harmony and tolerance between
\nMoslems and non-Moslems. The NU congress will try to formulate
\neffective means to raise the participation of the middle to lower
\nlevels of society in national development, to lessen their
\nfrustrations and social tensions, and to enhance social justice
\nthrough more equitable distributions of power and wealth, i.e.
\ndemocratization.<\/p>\n
The outcome of the NU congress will have international
\nimplications as well. At present, non-Moslem segments of the
\nworld community are still suspicious of the threat of resurgent
\nIslam -- admittedly, largely because of ignorant and
\nirresponsible western mass media.<\/p>\n
In this situation, the presence of NU in Indonesia as perhaps
\nthe world's largest NGO Moslem organization in the world's most
\npopulous Moslem nation today, advocating the solidarity of
\nmankind across cultural and religious differences, is undoubtedly
\none of Indonesia's most positive contributions to the world
\ncommunity.<\/p>\n
The writer is a professor of anthropology at the Chiba
\nUniversity's faculty of letters in Japan, and observer of Islamic
\nreligious movements in contemporary Indonesia. Politics - Page 5<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nu-brings-harmony-and-unity-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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