Prabowo Welcomes Kiai of Gontor Ponpes, Gus Miftah, and Mamah Dedeh

Jakarta, KOMPAS.com - President Prabowo Subianto welcomed ulama, preachers, and pesantren leaders at the Presidential Palace Complex in Central Jakarta on Thursday night (5 March 2026). According to a video shared by the Presidential Secretariat, the Head of State greeted each guest individually, accompanied by kasidah. The event took place after he broke the fast with leaders of religious organisations at Istana Merdeka, an iconic building within the Presidential Palace Complex that faces Monas. Initially, the Head of State was seen in a room with Rais Aam PBNU Miftachul Akhyar, Chairman Haedar Nasir of Muhammadiyah, and Anwar Iskandar, the Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). They included the custodian of Gontor Ponpes KH Hasan Abdullah Sahal, the custodian of Al-Falah Ponpes Ploso Mojo Kediri KH Nurul Huda Djazuli, and the custodian of Lirboyo Ponpes Kediri KH Kafabihi Ali Mahrus. Then, the leaders of Ora Aji Pesantren in Sleman Miftah Maulana Habiburrohman (Gus Miftah), the Chairman of Presidium ICMI Ilham Akbar Habibie, and the custodian of Pesantren Al Bahjah Cirebon Yahya Zainul Ma’arif, alias Buya Yahya, were present. Inside the room, several other preachers were also seen, such as Muhammad Subki Al-Bughury, preacher Dedeh Rosidah, alias Mamah Dedeh, the Chairman of the Rosulullah Foundation Pusat Nabil bin Fuad Al Musawa, and the Chairman of ICMI’s Advisory Council Jimly Asshiddiqie. Afterwards, Prabowo was seen conversing briefly before delivering his remarks at the podium. For information, a number of ulama, preachers, and pesantren custodians arrived at Istana Kepresidenan Jakarta on Thursday night from 19:00 WIB. Earlier that afternoon, leaders of Islamic organisations began arriving at Istana Kepresidenan Jakarta, following an invitation from President Prabowo Subianto to break the fast together at the Istana that evening. The Chairman (Ketum) of MUI Anwar Iskandar arrived at 15:54 WIB. He was accompanied by the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning, Nusron Wahid. Then, exactly at 16:00 WIB, Rais Aam PBNU Miftachul Akhyar also arrived at Istana Kepresidenan. He was seen wearing a suit with a sarong and a black peci. Anwar said he had come to attend President Prabowo’s invitation. ‘We will break the fast together. Later, all ketum of the Islam-based mass organisations, together with mubaligh and pesantren heads; those pesantren with large networks,’ he said on Thursday.