NU, Muhammadiyah say no to a politician as religious affairs minister

Indonesia’s largest Muslim organizations, Nadhlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, said that a new religious affairs minister should not be a politician.

“We have had enough of ministers with political party backgrounds who only prioritize the interests of their party while sacrificing minority groups,” Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsudin said Tuesday, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

He said that under current minister Suryadharma Alie, who is also chairman of the United Development Party (PPP), the ministry tended to be discriminative toward minority groups.

He said that ideally the next religious affairs minister should be a pluralist free from political interests.

“A pluralist could accommodate all interest groups and minimize damage,” he said.

Similarly, Nadhlatul Ulama chairman Said Aqil Siradj said it was vital for the President to ignore party affiliations when looking for the new minister.

“We prioritize those who appreciate harmony between religious groups,” he said.