MUI: Indonesia's Support for Palestine Has Lasted a Century
The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has emphasised that the Indonesian nation’s support for the Palestinian people’s struggle is not a stance that has emerged only in recent decades. This support has been deeply rooted for about a century and is part of the long history of relations between Indonesia and Palestine.
This was conveyed by the Chair of the MUI’s Commission for Foreign Relations and International Cooperation, Bunyan Saptomo, while representing the MUI’s Head of Foreign Relations and International Cooperation, Prof. Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim, at the opening of the Global Coalition for Al-Quds & Palestine (GCQP) in Istanbul, Turkey, on Friday (17/7/2026). Prof. Sudarnoto was unable to attend as he was fulfilling an invitation from the King of Saudi Arabia in the Holy Land.
‘Indonesian people’s support for the Palestinian struggle has been ongoing for 100 years or a century,’ Bunyan said in a written statement received by Republika on Saturday (18/7/2026).
According to Bunyan, history records that the emotional connection and solidarity between Indonesia and Palestine have been intertwined since the 1920s. During that period, Indonesian students studying in Egypt were active in the Islamic world’s independence movements, including fighting for the independence of Indonesia and Palestine.
One figure cited as having an important role was Prof. Abdul Kahar Muzakir. While studying in Egypt, Abdul Kahar Muzakir was active in the independence movement and attended the World Islamic Conference in Jerusalem in 1931.
Furthermore, Bunyan revealed that a number of Indonesian youths were also recorded as having fallen as martyrs in the Palestinian people’s struggle against British colonialism in the 1930s.
He assessed that this long history of cooperation is one of the strong reasons why Palestinian and Arab world leaders supported Indonesia’s independence after the Proclamation of 17 August 1945. ‘With this long-standing cooperation, it is not surprising that the Grand Mufti of Palestine and Arab world leaders supported and recognised the independence of the Republic of Indonesia proclaimed in 1945,’ he said.
In the forum, which was attended by around 300 participants from 30 countries, Bunyan also introduced the Indonesian delegation in attendance. Besides the MUI, Indonesia was also represented by several philanthropic organisations active in supporting the Palestinian struggle, namely Rumah Zakat, Qudwah, Adara, and Smart 171. Also present was the executive board of the Asia Pacific Coalition for Al-Quds and Palestine (APCQP).