NU asks community and preachers to stay neutral

SEMARANG: The chairman of Nadhlatul Ulama's (NU) lawmaking body, Sahal Mahfudz, asserted on Wednesday that the NU preachers and community had to stay neutral in the upcoming presidential election to keep unity within the NU community and Indonesia intact.

Speaking at a large NU meeting in Rembang, Central Java province, the respected cleric further called on the NU community to stick to NU's commitment (Khittah) to avoid active engagement in politics. The meeting was attended by some 800 NU clerics nationwide, particularly from Java island. -- JP