PBNU: 234 Kiai And NU Leaders Die During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Chief Satkor COVID-19 Rabithah Ma'ahid Islamiyah (RMI) NU I Nuha in Banda Aceh on Sunday, 27 December. (Teuku Dedi Iskandar / Antara)

JAKARTA - The Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) Executive Board stated that 234 kiai and NU figures had died during the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the country from March to December 2020.

"This pandemic is an extraordinary threat, it threatens the safety of Nahdliyin residents, especially our kiai, until last December 24 there were 234 kiai and NU figures who died during the pandemic," said Head of the COVID-19 Task Force Rabithah Ma'ahid Islamiyah. (RMI) PBNU Ulun Nuha in Banda Aceh, reported by Antara, Sunday, December 27.

When compared with the number of kiai who died in the same period in 2019, he said, the 234 people were much larger, reaching six times.

"In 2019, there were less than 50 kiai or NU figures who died, only around 40 of them died last year," said Ulun Nuha.

He emphasized that he did not state that the kiai died because of exposure to COVID-19, but that the kiai and NU figures died during the pandemic.

"So we do not declare that he (the kiai / NU leaders) died of COVID-19, we say he died during the pandemic," he emphasized.

In addition, said Ulun Nuha, until the end of December 2020 the PBNU also noted that in the system there were 112 Islamic boarding schools in the country that were exposed to COVID-19 with more than 5,000 students and kiai who were positive COVID-19.

Of the many students who were exposed to COVID-19, there were two students who died and many of them were declared cured.

For this reason, currently PBNU is very concerned with handling the COVID-19 pandemic by forming a NU Care Task Force by involving a number of NU autonomous agencies to protect Nahdliyin residents in the country from the threat of the pandemic.

"The mandate of Buya Said (Said Aqil Siradj), we focus on protecting residents including pesantren residents by trying to educate people to protect, as well as carry out educational activities, training, campaigns, health audits so that NU residents are empowered to enforce health protocols," said Ulun Nuha.