Independence of the Faithful and Educational Transformation as Focus of Mathla’ul Anwar Agenda
Challenges to the independence of the faithful amid social, economic, and digital changes have become the main focus in Mathla’ul Anwar’s strategic agenda. The organisation emphasises the need to strengthen the role of education, preaching, and social efforts as the foundation for building an adaptive civilisation for the ummah in line with the times.
These issues emerged during the series of the 21st Muktamar of Mathla’ul Anwar held in Serang City, Banten. The forum serves as a national consolidation space to formulate the organisation’s policy direction in responding to global challenges, including disparities in the quality of human resources (HR), economic pressures on the ummah, and technological disruptions.
The General Chairman of the Mathla’ul Anwar Central Board, Embay Mulya Syarief, asserted that religious organisations can no longer limit themselves to normative aspects but must enter the realm of concrete solutions.
“This muktamar is a momentum to strengthen the organisation’s direction in addressing the challenges of the times, especially in building the independence of the ummah,” he said.
Mathla’ul Anwar is pushing for the strengthening of three main sectors, namely education, preaching, and social, as strategic instruments in enhancing the capacity of the ummah. Education is the primary focus, given its role in addressing HR quality imbalances.
In Banten Province, the organisation manages hundreds of madrasahs, while nationally, Mathla’ul Anwar’s education network continues to develop as part of the Islamic education ecosystem.
Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar emphasised that ummah development cannot rely solely on the state. Collaboration with community organisations is key to expanding the impact of development. “Preparing the ummah for the future must be done together, not just by the state,” he said.
In addition to education, economic challenges for the ummah are also a concern. Religious organisations are seen as needing to play a larger role in strengthening community-based economic independence.
In this context, Mathla’ul Anwar encourages the integration of religious values and economic capacity building, so that the ummah is not only strong spiritually but also economically independent.
The Muktamar Organising Committee Chairman, Asep Rohmatulloh, stated that the forum is also an arena for cadre consolidation to strengthen the organisation’s movement direction amid global dynamics. “This muktamar is a strategic space for formulating future organisational policies, including strengthening institutions and cadre development,” he said.
He added that all dynamics that arose during the implementation process have been resolved through internal communication, allowing the muktamar agenda to proceed as planned.
Going forward, Mathla’ul Anwar is expected to transform into a more adaptive organisation in response to changes, while remaining rooted in Islamic and Indonesian values, particularly in addressing the increasingly complex challenges of ummah education and economy.