Jombang, NU Online
People from 1,000 mosques recited the Koran in Jombang regency, East Java, on Thursday to commemorate the death of religious leader and former president KH Abdurahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, who passed away in 2009.<>

Centered at Tebuireng pesantren (Islamic boarding school), which was owned by Gus Dur’s family, hundreds of pupils and local residents participated in the recital, which ran from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“Alhamdullillah [Praise God], our suggestion in hosting a Koran recital received positive feedback [from mosques across the regency],” said the event organizer Lukman Hakim on Thursday, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Jombang is the hometown of Gus Dur, the former chairman of Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama.

Despite his strong-religious background, many praised the former president in his efforts to promote religious tolerance.

On Thursday evening, the organizer hosted a grand tahlil prayer session and sermon beside Gus Dur’s graveyard, located in the pesantren (Islamic school) compound.

Editor : Sudarto Murtaufiq