Surabaya, NU Online
Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama Prof Dr. Kacung Maridjan said that Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) should refresh the spirit behind its establishment in 1926 that the organization was initially established as a religious thought movement, or ahlussunnah wal jama’ah (people of tradition and community).<>

He said that its establishment was also based mainly on its ideal to become a pro-people economic movement and a national movement to improve the people’s social welfare. 

"These kinds of movements have remained relevant and actual," the director general for culture at the Ministry of Education and Culture told NU Online here recently.

"The most important thing to be take into account by the organization is, again, how it lays a major role in pushing for the pro-people’s economic movement."

According to him, NU should take the lead in the public as a mainstream religious organization to counter the emergence of transnational hard-line and radical groups. It should also continue fighting for moderation.

Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq