PBNU Chairman: NU born as the mandate of civilization

Jakarta, NU Online

The General Chairman of the Executive Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) KH Yahya Cholil Staquf (Gus Yahya) said that the birth of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) was a mandate of civilization to ensure harmony among human beings.

The statement was made when he was appointed as the keynote speaker at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute Webinar organized by the Indonesia Studies Program ISEAS Singapore and the Indonesian Islamic University (UII) Jakarta, Thursday (3/2/2022).

"NU was born with the mandate of civilization and civilization that we want is in line with the ideals of the founders of NU and the founders of the Indonesian nation, which guarantees independence and equality, rights and dignity, among fellow human beings," explained Gus Yahya.

He also said that NU was founded as an effort to pioneer and find a new format of civilization to replace the old one that collapsed.

This, he continued, was evident from the persistence of one of the founders of NU, KH Wahab Chasbullah, who had been in Arab states that Saudi Arabia could not be used as a model. Finally together they founded this NU.

"My deductive conclusion is that the establishment of NU is an attempt to find a new civilization format. It must be on a global scale. So the symbol chosen is the symbol of the universe, the globe," said the leader of the Raudlatut Tholibin Islamic Boarding School, Rembang, Central Java.

Therefore, he called on all Nahdliyin (NU members) to jointly think about this issue by changing their mindset and building a stronger mentality.

"So from now on, we have to build the mentality and mindset to think about the mandate of civilization," explained the figure who was once assigned as spokesperson for the fourth President of the Republic of Indonesia.

Gus Yahya admitted that efforts to make NU a model of civilization in the future needed a struggle. But with a strong trigger, communication, and cooperation, all of that could be done.

Reporter: Syifa Arrahmah

Editor: Sudarto Murtaufiq