Singapore's Muslim organization seeks cooperation with NU

Jakarta, NU Online
Simply Islam, a religious mass organization that promotes moderate Islamic values and and located in Singapore, is exploring such possibilities of conducting cooperation with the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU).

Director of Simply Islam Mohamed Nassir made the remarks on the sidelines of his meeting with chairman of the Lajnah Ta'lif wan Nasr (LTN) NU Abdul Mun'im DZ at the PBNU headquarters, Jln. Kramat Raya 164 Jakarta Tuesday.<>

Nassir said, the religious teaching of Ahlussunnah wal Jamaah (Aswaja) having so far been practiced by Simply Islam's followers in Singapore was the same as NU.

He expected, his PBNU's visit would pave the way for conducting more cooperation with NU especially in such sectors as dakwa (preaching) and education.

"Hopefully our visit would be a first step to cultivate relationship and cooperate with NU because we have the same religious visions as NU," Nassir said.

Nassir added the the same vision could at least be traced through their religious traditions such as reciting tahlil, barzanji, and manaqib.

"There we at least have such similar traditions as practiced by NU followers like tahlilan and dziba," Nassir said.

While chairman of the LTN NU Abdul Mun'im DZ greatly appreciated the planned cooperation, expecting there would immediately a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Simply Islam and NU.

Mun'im said PBNU formerly invited Indonesia's Muslim organizations having similar religious views to take up issues on the importance of both ideologization and socialization of Aswaja especially to young generations.

"The Aswaja Muslim organizations that we have ever invited are Tarbitah Islamiyah, Al-Khairat, Matla'ul Anwar, Al-Washliyah, Nahdlatul Wathon, dan Darud Dakwah wal Irsyad," Mun'im said. (dar)