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undreds of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) youth gathered on Sunday on the sidelines of the country'€™s largest Islamic organization'€™s 33rd muktamar (national congress) to pledge to maintain the organization'€™s tolerant and peaceful identity.

Meeting at KH A. Wahab Hasbullah University in Jombang, East Java, the youths agreed on the need to spread tolerance and peace through various means, including social media, amid increasing hatred and religion-based violence in the country.

Social media activist Savic Ali said he saw huge potential among NU youth as they were avid users of social media.

'€œIf one of the country'€™s largest news portals only has 300 journalists, imagine us starting up an online media outlet with our large numbers. [Or] We can blog on NU teachings,'€ Savic, who is also chief editor of NU Online, the organization'€™s official news site, said.

Savic, a former student activist who took part in the demonstrations that toppled president Soeharto in 1998, also called on NU youth to maintain consistent messages on social media.

'€œWrite consistently, like how we used to read the Koran. Or at least, write once a week. So there will be a lot of writings,'€ he said.

According to NU'€™s official website, quoting a recent poll by the Indonesian Survey Institute, its follower numbers stand at around 84 million.

In his opening speech at the congress on Saturday night, President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo said he hoped NU could maintain its tolerant, peaceful and moderate identity.

'€œNU, along with Muhammadiyah, could become examples of moderate, tolerant, peaceful and progressive Islam to the world,'€ Jokowi said, also mentioning the name of the country'€™s second-largest Islamic organization.

Also speaking at Sunday'€™s meeting, Ahmad Suaedy, director of the Wahid Institute, saw a big opportunity for Islam in Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia, as the country with the world'€™s largest Muslim population.

'€œIslam in Southeast Asia, including Islam Nusantara, has a distinctive identity, different from other parts of the world,'€ Suaedy said.

The term Islam Nusantara (Islam of the archipelago), the theme of the congress, has been reaffirmed by NU chairman Said Aqil Siradj.

'€œActually it [Islam Nusantara] is not new. It is rooted in tradition. Islam Nusantara is also based on akhlakul karimah [good deeds], nationalism, diversity and humanity,'€ Said told the 3,000 people attending the congress'€™ opening ceremony on Saturday.

Meanwhile, young intellectual Syafiq Hasyim agreed that NU youth could play an important role in spreading tolerance and peace, but said they might face internal challenges from groups that promoted discriminatory teachings.

'€œWe have groups, such as NU Garis Lurus [straight], which is discriminatory [toward other groups], although they are the minority. So NU youth should handle this too,'€ Syafiq, who recently completed his PhD from Freie Universitat Berlin with a dissertation based on research on the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), said.

The groups, including NU Garis Lurus, actively criticize other groups such as the Shia, Ahmadiyah and Wahabi, as well as NU'€™s liberal thinkers on social media.

'€œWe could create our own identity, our own culture without excluding other groups. If we can do it, we could play an important role, become dominant without excluding others,'€ Syafiq said.

The NU congress will run until Aug. 5 and discuss several contemporary issues in the Bahtsul Masail (discussing problems) forum, among other things, imposing the death penalty on graft convicts and the status of the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) in the view of Islam.

Some events during the five-day muktamar will take place in four major Islamic boarding schools in Jombang, namely Tebuireng, Tambakberas, Denanyar and Darul Ulum.