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NU leader Slamet Effendy Yusuf passes away
Slamet Effendy Yusuf - JP/P
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Slamet Effendy Yusuf - JP/P.J. Leo
Prominent Islamic leader Slamet Effendy Yusuf, known for his relentless fight to nurture religious tolerance in the country, has passed away at the age of 67 years old.
Slamet, who was the executive council chairman of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), passed away on late Wednesday in Bandung, West Java, after attending an event held by the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) research department.
'He was found dead after participating in an event at the Merdeka Building around 11 p.m.,' the department's secretariat head, Anwar Syaddad, said on Wednesday.
After attending the event, Slamet immediately went to the hotel where he was staying.
'At that time, his driver and other MPR research department members were looking for Pak Slamet. After they checked the hotel they discovered his room was locked from the inside. After receiving approval from the hotel, we opened the door by force and found Pak Slamet already dead inside,' Anwar said.
As of Thursday, the cause of death was still unknown.
NU senior leader Khofifah Indar Parawansa, who is also the current Social Affairs Minister, said Slamet had cardiovascular problems.
'He has a cardiovascular problem. It's been going on for a while,' she said on Thursday.
Slamet's body will be laid to rest at Al Azhari Islamic boarding school in Purwokerto. Central Java, where he was born.
Born on Jan. 12, 1948, Slamet grew up in Islamic schools. Throughout school, he was active in the NU Students Association (IPNU). After graduating from college, he was active in the NU youth wing, Ansor Youth Movement.
Before being laid to rest in Purwokerto, Slamet's body was brought to a mourning house in Cibubur, East Jakarta, on Thursday.
Among those who paid respect to Slamet at the mourning house were Khofifah, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin and Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie.
Lukman said that he remembered the former Golkar Party politician as someone who had always tried to build religious tolerance.
'Anywhere he went, he always spoke about how tolerance had to be built in our beloved republic,' he said on Thursday.
Lukman commended Slamet for his ability to connect Islamic values with Indonesian values.
'His national outlook was always apparent and outstanding,' Lukman said. 'We lost a very moderate figure who upheld Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaah [conservatism in relation to theology] as well as Indonesian values.'
During an attempt by Islamic fundamentalist groups to replace Pancasila with Sharia, which is supported by some Islamic political parties, Slamet was quick to denounce the campaign.
He said that the sharia campaign was a setback and would undermine the nation's progress over the last six decades, adding that Pancasila was final and that the NU would never entertain any idea of replacing it.
Slamet is also known for his long political career, serving as MPR speaker from 1988 to 1993 and House of Representatives member from 1992 to 2009.
He also served as the head of the Golkar Party central executive board head as well as the head of NU executive council from 2010 to 2015 and the head of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) from 2009 to 2014.
