NU activists hold joint prayer for the late Arief Mudatisr Mandan

Jepara, NU Online
At the seventh day after the death of Arief Mudatsir Mandan, the Indonesian Islamic Students Movement Alumni Association (IKA PMII) Jepara held a joint prayer for the deceased at the Nahdlatul Ulama Islamic University (UNISNU) mosque Jepara on Sunday (16/11).<>

Zastrouw Al-Ngatawi, friend of the deceased, said that Arief Mudatsir was a figure retaining the character of the grassroots, adding that Arief was also considered as "transcultural generation."

Zastrouw who is also General Chairman of Lesbumi, a NU artist and culturalist association, said although Arief Mudatsir was a villager for being born in Robayan, Jepara, and was a merchant's son, when he moved to Jakarta he was not subject to circumstances.

"Mas Arief lived in the midst of struggle of culture. Surrounded by most Muhammadiyyah followers yet he did retain his grass roots (character). He remained the NU follower," he told hundreds of PMII cadres present at the occasion.

The leader of a musical group, Ki Ageng Ganjur, also added the deceased was an NGO activist and had studied in the West (Australia). "But he did not want to australize-Indonesia," Zastrouw said.

He said that what conducted by Arief Mudatsir was in line with leader of the caliber of Dr. Soetomo who once studied in America. But, after returning from Uncle Sam, Soetomo did not want to americanize Indonesia.

He called Arief as an Indonesian having a broad knowledge and understanding of the European culture. A number of famous NU clerics such as Nawawi al-Bantani, KH Hasyim Asyari after studying in the Middle East also did not want to arabize Indonesia, he said.

Zastrouw also called for the importance of both maintaining and preserving the character of the grassroots, namely the typical Indonesian local wisdom.

Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq