PBNU Da'wah Commission Urges The Public To Use Local Products

Akil Chairman of the Dakwah Commission General Manager of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) KH Misbahul Munir Kholil MA/PHOTO VIA ANTARA

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) Da'wah Commission, KH Misbahul Munir Kholil MA, appealed to the Indonesian people, especially Muslims, to use goods produced by local halal producers.

KH Misbahul Munir, who is also the Head of the PBNU Halaqoh Study and an expert on Aswaja Teaching, said the use of local products that have received a halal certificate from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) can affect the validity of worship.

"Muslims are advised to always consume products that are guaranteed to be halal, whether food, drinks, or products that come into contact with human organs, such as antigen swab test kits and PCR, because they will affect the validity of worship," he said at the Aswaja Islamic Study Center Halaqoh activity, as quoted by Antara in its press release, Thursday, December 16.

Apart from being an expert on the teachings of Aswaja or Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah), Kiai Misbahul is also active as a caregiver for the Al-Misbah Islamic Islamic Boarding School (PIQ) Jakarta.

Attending the Halaqoh activity of Aswaja Islamic Studies Center KH Ahmad Shodiq (Vice Commander of Santri), KH Mastur (Indonesian Mosque Council/DMI), Gus Imad (LDPBN), Gus Asif (Secretary General of Aswaja Center), M Taufik Rusidi (General Chair of the Business Services Cooperative Community Welfare Work), Ustadz Fahruddin and Ustadz Yusep Koma.

According to him, halal certification is a form of fulfilling the obligations of the state in providing protection to its citizens.

This is important considering that the Muslim population in Indonesia reaches more than 87 percent, so that all products circulating in the community must be guaranteed to be halal.

"We, as Muslims, are very happy if the products are guaranteed to be halal. And what guarantees halalness is from MUI," he explained.

He emphasized that legal certainty regarding the halalness of a product is very important. For this reason, he encourages the government, state-owned enterprises, hospitals, private parties to ensure the use of antigens and PCR that have been certified halal.

"I think the purpose of this halal label is to provide a sense of security for consumers," he explained.

Kiai Misbahul also stated that he supports President Joko Widodo's program in promoting domestic products. This is in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Trade (Permendag) No. 12 of 2020 concerning Goods Prohibited from Importing.

Article 2 paragraph 1 letter C of this Regulation of the Minister of Trade states that goods are prohibited from being imported for the national interest on the grounds of protecting the health and safety of humans, animals, fish, plants and the environment.

Kiai Misbahul, who is also an NU scholar, believes that by using domestic products, more labor will be absorbed. This also reduces unemployment as a negative impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The scholars, he said, asked the government to prioritize local medical products. We as a nation must be proud of domestic production.

"If we rely on imported products, it will not provide our economic benefits. In fact, there will be a lot of unemployment because local products are not absorbed by the market," he explained.

Kiai Misbahul also called on the nation's children to support President Joko Widodo's policy to always love local products so that national products become masters in their own country.

"I hope this is a united and united Indonesian nation, please help and work together. Let's help our brothers and sisters who are capable of producing, for example, antigens or other medical equipment products, let's support them," he hoped.