NU reminds Muslim of Wali Songo's ways of preaching

Jakarta, NU Online
The Indonesia's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) reminded Muslims to keep preaching the teachings of Islam through cultural channels as that carried out by the so-called Wali Songo as reflected on the theme of the NU 91st Anniversary "Culture as Infrastructure of Strengthening Religiosity."

According to the organizing committee chief H Masduki Baidlowi, the theme is carried by a number of considerations, in this case NU would like to reaffirm the importance of Islamic missionary strategies managed to spread and embraced by the people of the archipelago.

"That Islam spread to the archipelago from the 9th century could successfully and widely be received in the 12th and 13th centuries by using local cultures as (part of) religious understanding," he said at the NU building, Jakarta on Monday (30/1).

According to him, a concrete example of Islamic preaching through cultural element is through puppet. Puppet was used as a means of (propagating) Islamic values. Puppet stories were later littered with Islamic values ??and received by the local communities, Likewise tahlilan.

Baidlowi also said that the puppet was already entrenched as a rock among the local community. However, using the same media to preach, puppet became melted, and belonged to the Islamic community.

"Therefore putting the culture as a religious understanding is effective," he added.

In terms of the theme of the NU anniversary, he said, Muslims were reminded of the Wali Songo's legacies because there have been some groups proselytizing by blaming others, and considering their fellow Muslims as infidels.

"It is is a less strategic preaching. Thus, the the NU anniversary's theme is in the context of reminding Muslims having lately practiced instant praching, expecting others to quickly convert to Islam. Otherwise, they are regarded as infidels and blamed. It is again not effective,"he explained.  (Abdullah Alawi/Masdar)