'NU totally withdraws itself from any practical political activities'

Malang, NU Online
The Chairman of the East Java's Maarif NU Prof. Dr. KH Abdul Haris said that Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in the 1984 Congress had to go back to its 1926 Khittah original objective by totally withdrawing itself from any practical political activities and return to its original habitat as a social organization responsible for social and religious affairs.

"In this case, there should be separated between the functions of religion from the ones of the state. However NU is committed to to monitoring every decision made by the state and it has stand on the firm foundation of religious faith," Mr Haris told NU Online here on Saturday (12/11).

He said that religious movements in the long run could function as a guarantee that while religious aspirations will be heard, demands for more populist and participatory policies will not go unnoticed either.

According to Mr. Haris, God blesses Islam as a religion not as a political and governmental system.

"Islam will always be great and highly influential for being capable of showing its moral face to the world not its political face. On this stand, Islam is not expected to formalize the syaria (Islam law) through national legislation " he said.

Mr. Haris did agree with the statement of the late KH Abdurrahman Wahid that that Islam must not be functioned as a political vehicle and therefore Islam-based political organizations are not necessary. (Masdar)