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National scene: Ulema council chief says no to Santri Day
Din Syamsuddin - JP/AwoIndonesian Ulema Coucil (MUI) chairman Din Syamsuddin said that President Joko âJokowiâ Widodoâs plan to name Oct
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Din Syamsuddin - JP/Awo
Indonesian Ulema Coucil (MUI) chairman Din Syamsuddin said that President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's plan to name Oct. 22 a national santri (Islamic students) day was ill-advised.
Din said that the plan, if implemented, could jeopardize the country's multicultural roots.
'The plan could harm the country's unity, as division between santri and abangan [nominal Muslims] was created by foreign intellectuals to divide the country's Muslims,' he said as quoted by tribunnews.com.
Last week, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said that Jokowi had signed a presidential decree to name Oct. 22 National Santri Day, which will be celebrated annually.
Pramono said, however, that Santri Day would not be a national holiday, as only Islamic students would take part in the celebration.
On the presidential campaign trail last year, Jokowi proposed naming the first day of Muharram (the Islamic New Year) National Santri Day.
