Muhammadiyah Leader: War Is Hard to Stop Because the Perpetrator Is a Superpower

War is raging in various parts of the world and the difficulty of halting warfare stems from the fact that the parties involved are often influential countries. This condition, according to Haedar Nashir, the General Chairman of the Muhammadiyah Central Executive Board (PP Muhammadiyah), causes global peace efforts to frequently hit a dead end.

Globally, Haedar said, society is facing a major challenge, namely conflicts or wars that are chosen by some superpowers. He regards this as a sign of the loss of modern philosophical values that uphold humanity.

‘It even becomes a dead-end corridor of modernity, because after World War I and II we should no longer have wars,’ Haedar Nashir said in Yogyakarta, Tuesday, 19 May 2026.

The UN, continued Haedar, as a forum for international unity, should lead peace without warfare that ultimately causes global turmoil. He hopes nations of the world keep voicing to stop the wars, even though it is recognised as difficult to realise.

‘So hard to stop (war) because the perpetrators are those who dominate the UN, hold veto power, and are superpowers,’ he said.

During the occasion, Haedar Nashir condemned all forms of violence including the case of journalist abduction carried out by the Israeli army against the humanitarian mission Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) 2.0 en route to Gaza, Palestine.

‘Muhammadiyah always condemns any form of intervention using violence or political violence,’ Haedar said.

According to him, violent politics will only end up hurting all parties, including the current case, namely three Indonesian journalists and activists arrested by the Israeli Navy while participating in a humanitarian mission to Gaza, Palestine. ‘They have no political interests whatsoever,’ he said.

He hopes that Israel does not act recklessly in addressing matters in Palestine, including acting arbitrary towards the people of Gaza and all parties involved in the peace and humanitarian mission.

Haedar also emphasised that the UN must take action against Israel’s actions. ‘The UN must act, in my view,’ he asserted.