Historic Nahdlatul Ulama Congress a Battleground Between Opposing Forces
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Historic Nahdlatul Ulama Congress a Battleground Between Opposing Forces: Wide Range of Human Nature, and “Religious Impulse,” on Display “In Indonesia, the congress was a major event. It opened with a speech by the country’s president; each day it was the lead item on TV news and in national newspapers. But apart from the presence of diplomats at the opening and reporting by specialized academics, it mostly passed unnoticed in the West. “This is tragic, since a few days spent at the congress of the world’s largest Muslim organization would reshape most Westerners’ perception of Islam. While groups such as ISIS demand a many-sided, including military, response, long-term antidotes to growing Islamic extremism can only be found in organizations such as NU. “Historically, NU, like Indonesia, has rarely sought a bigger place on the Islamic or world stage. But now, with the nation’s economy the largest in the Muslim world, and after eight successful democratic elections, both are reaching out, sponsoring reconciliation and educational programs in Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. There are even NU branches in the United States. “As we continue to struggle with bloody chaos in much of the Middle East, Indonesia, and especially Indonesian Islam, needs our careful attention.” ~ Paul Marshall, The Weekly Standard, “Among the Believers: A century-old mass organization cultivates an adaptable Islam” Background The Nahdlatul Ulama held its 33rd national congress (muktamar) from 1 – 5 August 2015 in Jombang, East Java, to select its national leadership and establish an agenda for the next five years (2015 – 2020). The theme of the event was Meneguhkan Islam Nusantara untuk Peradaban Indonesia dan Dunia (“Strengthening East Indies Islam for the Benefit of Indonesian and World Civilization”). The term Islam Nusantara refers to the profoundly spiritual variant of Islam traditionally dominant throughout the Malay Archipelago, which cultivates noble character and virtue (akhlakul karima) among its adherents; respects and proactively defends cultural and religious diversity as a natural expression of God’s will; teaches that universal love and compassion are integral to religion; and that the primary message and purpose of Islam is to serve as a blessing for all creation. Given these characteristics, Islam Nusantara is inherently antithetical to the authoritarian/monolithic interpretation of religion propagated by Islamist extremists, who hate and fear the term. Within Indonesia, both political opportunists and radicals are deliberately targeting the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)—the world’s largest Muslim organization, with over 50 million followers and 14,000 madrasahs. Exit polls conducted during Indonesia’s 2014 national elections suggest that, in fact, as many as 80 million Indonesians may self-identify with the NU and its traditional understanding of Islam. The NU has played a decisive role in every phase of Indonesian history, ever since the organization was founded in 1926, in direct response to the Saudi/Wahhabi conquest of Mecca and Medina. This role includes having mobilized traditional Sunni clerics to resist Wahhabi inroads; waging a successful war for independence against the Dutch; enshrining religious pluralism and tolerance as key pillars of the newly established state, in the form of Pancasila (“Five Principles”) and Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (“Unity Amid Diversity”); mobilizing civil society to peacefully overthrow the Suharto dictatorship, and replace it with a democratic system “Historic Nahdlatul Ulama Congress a Battleground Between Opposing Forces” 2 founded upon respect for ethnic and religious minorities, human rights and freedom of the press; and steadfastly opposing extremist efforts to transform Indonesia into a so-called “Islamic” state. Ironically, the very freedom and democracy established in Indonesia in 1998, with Nahdlatul Ulama support, has been systematically exploited by transnational Islamist movements and opportunistic political parties. Extremists have seized the chance to undermine Indonesia’s traditions of religious pluralism and tolerance, while political parties compete to mobilize the Nahdlatul Ulama’s enormous “vote bank,” consisting of NU followers heavily influenced by the NU’s local, regional and national leadership. The resulting infiltration and corruption of the NU’s organizational structure has seriously undermined the NU’s ability to maintain social and religious harmony within Indonesia, and vigorously counter the extremist ideology, and political opportunism, that threaten both the NU and Indonesia at large. Ahlul Halli wal Aqdi “Those who have a right to appoint and deny” In response to this threat, the spiritual wing of the Nahdlatul Ulama—led by senior LibForAll/IIQS advisor Kyai Haji A. Mustofa Bisri—has been systematically implementing a long-term strategy to strengthen the traditional values of the NU, so that it may continue to serve as an unshakable pillar of support for religious pluralism and diversity in Indonesia, while propagating these values throughout the Muslim world and helping to shape the future course of Western foreign policy in this critical arena. The promotion of Islam Nusantara is a key component of this strategic effort, as are calls for the NU to return to its founding principles and aspirations. Khittah dan Khidmah Nahdlatul Ulama (The Nahdlatul Ulama’s Founding Principles and Aspirations), published by Majma’ Buhuts an-Nahdliyyah (the Forum for NU Teachings), which was established in 2004 by top NU spiritual figures including H.E. KH. Abdurrahman Wahid; KH. Sahal Mafudz; KH. A. Mustofa Bisri; KH. Dimyati Rois; KH. Mafudz Ridwan; and KH. Muadz Thohir. “Historic Nahdlatul Ulama Congress a Battleground Between Opposing Forces” 3 As an integral part of this strategy, senior NU clerics recommended adoption of a mechanism designed to “short-circuit” opportunistic/extremist intervention in selection of the organization’s leadership at its national congress (muktamar), held every five years. Ever since the fall of Suharto, an accelerating trend has emerged, in which politically- and economically-motivated individuals—who often have little knowledge of the NU’s traditional teachings, and little to no affiliation with its network of pesantren (madrasahs)—have gained control of local NU chapters and leveraged this control for personal advantage. Simultaneously, many NU executive boards (tanfidziyah)—at a national, provincial and regional level—began acting independently of, and frequently in conflict with, their corresponding supreme councils (syuriah), which are meant to direct and control executive boards at each respective level of the NU. Rather than direct election of the Chairman of the NU Supreme Council (Rais Aam Syuriah PBNU) by regional chapters vulnerable to the exercise of “money politics,” senior ulama (religious scholars) advised that the 33rd NU Congress employ a system devised by Umar bin Khattab, a companion to the Prophet Muhammad, to select his successor. Known as ahlul halli wal aqdi (or AHWA), a consultative council of nine senior ulama— respected for their knowledge of Islamic law, humility and renunciation of self-interest—would be selected by muktamar delegates. These nine ulama would, in turn, deliberate among themselves and appoint a new Chairman of the NU Supreme Council. This ahlul halli wal aqdi (AHWA) mechanism was used once before—at the 27th national congress held in 1984 in Situbondo, East Java—in order to prevent the Suharto regime from acquiring control of the NU via systematic vote buying and the intimidation of muktamar delegates. In fact, it was this historic muktamar that appointed LibForAll/IIQS co-founder H.E. Kyai Haji Abdurrahman Wahid as General Chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board, from which strategic position he orchestrated the peaceful overthrow of Suharto’s regime (in 1998) and Indonesia’s transition to a pluralistic democracy. Islam Nusantara On June 15, approximately 40,000 NU followers gathered at Indonesia’s national mosque in Jakarta to attend an istighotsah ceremony, heralding the arrival of Ramadan (the fasting month within the Islamic calendar). “Historic Nahdlatul Ulama Congress a Battleground Between Opposing Forces” 4 Entitled “Nurturing Spiritual Traditions; Safeguarding National Unity,” the ceremony was designed to launch a 2-day National Conference of NU religious scholars who gathered to make final preparations for the upcoming NU Congress to be held in August. Rais Aam Syuriah PWNU (Chairmen of the Supreme Council) for NU Provincial Chapters in 29 of the nation’s 34 provinces agreed to use the principle of ahlul halli wal aqdi, or AHWA, to select the Chairman of the NU Supreme Council at the Jombang muktamar. The East Java and Central Java chapters of the NU—which represent the organization’s traditional heartland, where a majority of its followers reside—took the lead in embracing the concept of AHWA, and recommending its use at the 2015 muktamar, “in order to minimize the influence of external parties that wish to destroy the NU via ‘money politics’ (conducted by self- interested businessmen and political parties) and a ‘black campaign’ (conducted by Muslim extremists) against NU figures.” Indonesian president Joko Widodo delivered the keynote address at the istighotsah ceremony, which was also attended by KH. Said Aqil Siradj (Chairman of the NU Executive Board); KH. Lukman Hakim Saifuddin (a prominent NU theologian who serves as Minister of Religion); Nusron Wahid