Serang, NU Online
The journely of 2016 NU Jihad Resolution carnival entered the district of Serang, Banten, on Friday (21/10) afternoon and took place at Pesantren An-Nawawi Tanara, Serang.

The supreme leader (Rais Aam) of Nahdlatul Ulama who is also the leader of Pesantren An-Nawawi, KH Ma'ruf Amin, said that the carnival was one of the events to commemorate the National Santri Day 2016 in addition asserting that santri had also played an important role in defending, maintaining and keeping the Unitary State of Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).

The obligation to defend the country is reasonable, becausein addition to being taught by their kiai (clerics) on the importance of knowledge and religious sciences, the are also educated to become so-called Al-Mujahidin, the fighters in defense of the state and religion. Therefore, to defend the country is part of faith (hubbul wathoni minal iman).

Kiai Ma'ruf said that jihad in Indonesia at this time was not in the form of warfare with physical weapons, unlike the jihad in seizing and maintaining independence in 1945.

"Jihad (struggle) at the present time is doing improvements in keeping people from deviant creed and keeping the country from possible radical groups," Kiai Ma'ruf said.

According to him, one is the radical lines of thought is secularism because the secular understanding could eliminate the religious values ​​of the order of life and our soul as stated by the founder of NU KH Hasyim Asy'ari.

Kiai Ma'ruf also said that fundamentalism could also be the roots of radicalism so that such NU inclusive values as moderation (wasathiyah) must continue to be maintained and preserved.

He called on the pesantren circles, especially santri to keep learning to defend the country in accordance with the current condition and involve themselves in in various fields, such as politics, economics, social and culture. (Masdar)