NU cleric KH Asád Syamsul Arifin named national hero

Jakarta, NU Online
In the mid-1980s, when then president Soeharto issued a decree forcing all mass organizations in the country to accept Pancasila as their foundation, a policy opposed by the majority of Islamic groups, As’ad Syamsul Arifin was the Muslim cleric who managed to convince the country’s largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), to accept the national ideology.

As’ad argued that Pancasila, dubbed an ideology of tolerance and inclusivism, was in line with the teachings of Islam.

On Wednesday, ahead of National Heroes Day on Nov. 10, As’ad was granted the title of “national hero” by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo for his extraordinary services in leading a struggle for the country to achieve independence and to maintain national unity.

However, it was As’ad’s approach that “religious principles integrated with the spirit of patriotism” that mattered most, said Achmad Azaim Ibrahimy, As’ad grandson who received the award on his behalf during the title-bestowing ceremony at the State Palace.

As’ad is considered one of great NU clerics who played a role in convincing other NU clerics to accept Pancasila as the state ideology during NU’s national meeting held in his Islamic boarding school in December 1983. A year later, the decision was brought to the NU national congress, in which NU became the first Islamic mass organization that recognized Pancasila as the state ideology.

Jokowi’s move to declare As’ad a national hero could not be timelier, as the country is now facing a rise of identity politics, particularly after the blasphemy allegations made against Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama.

“Our family and, of course, the santri [students] hope that his views and spirit of patriotism can be an example for all generations in defending the country, particularly as our country has been facing many challenges lately,” Achmad was quoted by The Jakarta Post as saying.

Following the Nov. 4 rally, Jokowi has tried to reach out to various Muslim groups — including those with the largest number of members, like NU, smaller groups like Islamic boarding schools and those that were established before independence and played a part in the nation’s history.

This year, As’ad was the sole recipient of the hero title, unlike in previous years. In 2015 five figures received the title and four were named in 2014 for their extraordinary contributions to the country, before and after independence.

To date, the state has conferred the title on 169 independence fighters, both male and female.

Born in 1897, As’ad helped his father establish an Islamic boarding school, Salafiyah Syafi’iyah, in East Java’s Situbondo regency. He later played a part in mobilizing clerics and people in a number of regions in East Java to fight against the Dutch. It was the Situbondo regency that proposed As’ad be named a hero.

“Other than fighting for the country’s independence, he is also a hero of the endorsement of Pancasila as the sole foundation of the state, while Islam remains as the model for aqidah [good conduct],” former NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi, now a member of the Presidential Advisory Board who attended Wednesday’s title-bestowing ceremony at the palace. (Masdar)