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NU’s obsession with civilization seems far-fetched
The truth is, Muslim countries, which represent a quarter of the global population, host almost half of all the poor in the world.
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Religious affairs: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (second right) receives Nahdlatul Ulama chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf (third from left) and executives at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Sept. 22, 2022. Yahya reported preparations for the Religious Twenty (R20) forum to be held in Bali on Nov. 3-4, 2022. (Press and Media Bureau of Presidential Secretariat/Rusman)
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early 100 years after its establishment, the Nahdhatul Ulama (NU), the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia with over 50 million members, is determined to table to the Muslim world a blueprint of civilization.
Through a series of seminars and public dialogues, including an international conference that will be held on Feb. 6 in Surabaya, the organization is expected to propose “a comprehensive concept of transformation for the Muslim world”. Around 200 leading Muslim scholars from abroad, and another 200 domestic scholars will take part in the conference.
Looking at the magnitude of the anniversary, it seems clear that the NU, founded on Jan. 31, 1926, is now pursuing international recognition, recognition that might serve as an important tool for the organization to play a more strategic role on the global stage.
The NU had previously promoted the concept of Islam Nusantara as representation of moderate and tolerant Islam of Indonesia in the wake of deepening conservatism, both in the country and the world.
Whether the seemingly ambitious obsession of civilization is within NU’s reach or not is completely different question.
First of all, the idea of civilization for the Muslim world is not clear cut. It is legitimate in this context to ask a very basic question: will it be possible, given its diversity and complexity, to have a comprehensive concept of transformation for the whole Muslim world? Or, would not it be more realistic for each and every Muslim nation and society to have its own version of civilization to address its respective problems?
The Muslim world consists of so many entities, each with its own background, identity, cultural orientation, social and political order, different set of habits and behavior, intellectual outlook and so on. To expect “a comprehensive concept of transformation” that would embrace these different entities is simply unthinkable.
