Cholil Nafis of MUI: BoP No Longer Effective After US Strikes Iran

Cholil Nafis, Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), contends that the Board of Peace (BoP) is no longer effective. He said the United States, as the initiator, has not taken actions aligned with peace.

‘From what we see, the BoP is ineffective because the initiator itself has not provided a clear picture—be it a track record or present actions—that favours peace,’ Cholil said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, 5 March.

Cholil emphasised that Indonesia must play an active role in creating world peace. He stressed that the war must not have a negative impact on civilians.

‘Furthermore, we also hope this can help create peace by maximising the roles of the UN and the OIC because everyone will lose if this war continues,’ he added.

Today, Prabowo again invited leaders of Islamic organisations, ulama, and leaders of pesantren to the Istana. The meeting came amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East between Iran and the United States and Israel.

The US and Israel launched a joint strike on 28 February. In the wake of that operation, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was reported dead the following day. Iran confirmed the death the next day.

On the first day of the US-Israel operation, Iran immediately retaliated. Iran subsequently retaliated on a larger scale after Khamenei’s death, targeting Israel and US military bases in the region.