MUI Comments on NU Dropping the Demeaning Term `Kafir`
Translator
Ricky Mohammad Nugraha
Editor
Petir Garda Bhwana
Selasa, 5 Maret 2019 08:24 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) Deputy Chairman Zainut Tauhid Saadi asked the country’s Muslim community to refrain from overreacting to the abolition of the term `kafir` (infidels) often aimed at non-Muslims that was decided during the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) major conference (Munas).
“MUI calls for Muslims to not get overly invested in the polemic regarding the use of the term kafir for people who are not Muslims discussed in the Munas NU, in the context of a nation-state as citizens,” said Zainut in Jakarta yesterday.
He reminded people to respect NU’s verdict and further enhance the ability to think thoughtfully, positively, and tolerant, upon responding to a collective decision such as the Munas NU.
The Nahdlatul Ulama national meeting among Ulemas was held at Banjar City in West Java. One of the social issues touched by the discussion is to drop the demeaning term ‘kafir’or infidel sometimes used to refer to non-Muslims.
Abdul Moqsith Ghazali who led the NU meeting said that the religious teachers who attended the discussion conclude that the term kafir is hurtful and contains an element of theological violence.
